A Murder At The Cape
by Where's Beckett
Summary: Number 8. I can't believe it is here Castle and Beckett have been married for almost 8 years and try to vacation as a family. But as if a magnet is around them, murders seem to show up everywhere. Except I think I will make this one a little silly
1. Chapter 1

**The players belong to whoever messed up the fine show Castle once was**

 **I don't own these players someone else does. I am not sure they will admit it after the non Castle season 8.**

 **But I got to enjoy them for 7 seasons**

 **Another visit with the criminal element**

 **Major reminder: I DO NOT write canon**

 **I try to stay away from it as much as possible**

 **This makes number 8 in the series. Be sure to read them first so you will know how we got to this point in their relationship**

 **The system allows only two descriptions. This is Romance, Drama, Humor**

* * *

 **Mid Summer on Long Island**

The air is warm with the sun high in the evening sky and she knows that this day is going to end up being the best day ever.

Actually every day has been the best for several years. At least for her, it is the best. Ever since that first time they came here to the Hamptons when she first saw this part of his life and they ended that first week by promising the rest of their lives together by getting married,

That promise is still alive and well with every passing day making her life extraordinary. In fact her life is more than just extraordinary. She cannot find the words to fill her mind with what her heart wants to say

She is sitting on the veranda with a cup of coffee and the local evening paper. She hears the screams of laughter coming from the pool area where her children are happily playing together in the wading pond. With Alexis and Martha as baby sitters, 6 year old Jimmy and 3 year old Alicia Katherine are happily splashing in a safe environment

She closes her eyes and savors the world surrounding her

This is their usual mid-summer break from work and short vacation they have made time for every year since they have been together

She reaches over and opens the newspaper and is immediately drawn to a story on the front page of the local metro section

 _"Lighthouse Mystery" is the small headline on page just below the fold an article containing some intrigue_

 _She smiles as she begins reading the local interest story. Knowing that this is probably the most interesting mystery for the area she begins reading_

* * *

 _'The Montauk Point Lighthouse has become a haunted lighthouse. Over the last three months the lighthouse has gone dark several times for no apparent reason. Authorities have responded to calls almost weekly to find the master switch in the off position and the light from the beacon dark._

 _The local port authority has offered no explanation as to who might be turning off the light and what might be the reason._

 _Several theories include local students pulling a prank or possibly a group using the event as an initiation to a fraternity or even a sorority_

 _Since seagoing vessels are now equipped with GPS and land seeking radar that is very accurate, the need for hand drawn charts of the shore line has not been the primary warning of the land mass for many years and the light being off is not a real threat to ships off the coast._

 _For more than a decade the lighthouse has only operated as a tourist attraction'_

* * *

Beckett chuckles at the story. She thinks about the pranks that were pulled by her peers in high school and even college.

Her and some friends went into one of the men's dorms at school one night and left an assortment of very sexy women's underwear beside the bed of the least favorite boy in the dorm and made sure the jocks discovered them there next day

They knew the athletes would be jealous and the nerd would claim he did not know what had happened and had no memory of a girl in his room or how the bra and panties got there.

She is happy to NOT let her co-workers or her husband know this was part of her earlier life although her husband would be wanting her to tell him if it was her panties that ended on the door handle of that lucky guy's door

After deciding positively that he will NEVER find out about those days she turns the page to the social section, the local paper's version of the Ledger Page 6 and looked over the articles. She was happy to see Castle's neighbor and Kate's former schoolmate, Sara Green, and, Brett Edwards, announcing that their children had both been accepted to Harvard Law School

Kate and Rick have tried to keep up with the neighbors so she is pleased to see the story since they have not yet had an opportunity to talk to them this trip

Looking lower down the page, she is caught by a familiar name

 _'Richard Castle stays low key'_

She decides that she must see what is being said about her husband

* * *

 _'Famous resident Richard Castle has disappeared from the radar. Well at least the party radar. It has been several years since he was last spotted on the club scene._

 _So what has happened to Richard Castle?_

 _It seems he has found a good reason to drop off the celebrity boat. Her name is Katherine Beckett, the inspiration for his best character ever, Nikki Heat_

 _Detective, now Captain, Kate Beckett tamed our former man about town. In fact it seems that he has changed his image from woman chaser to children chaser._

 _He, along with his wife and children were recently seen on the Strand shopping for children's clothes_

 _If anyone wants to know why he dropped the playboy persona to settle down with a family need only look as far as the tall brunette he married. Any doubts as to why he changed his ways just need to see who he gets to go home with every night_

 _But to be fair, Captain Beckett is much more than a pretty face and great legs. During her tenure as detective in the homicide squad at the 12th precinct of the NYPD, she held the record for closing cases and taking killers off the street_

 _Her team is still together but now serving in a different capacity running the special case squad. Her team was instrumental in capturing many criminals and helps keep our cities safe._

 _To have Captain Beckett here on the island probably gives the bad guys reason to stay as far away as they can_

 _Thank you Captain for your service and thank you for giving the rest of us guys a chance with the women_

* * *

She lets out a chuckle after reading what was said. She then hears the door close from the house

"They are right you know" Castle remarks catching Kate off guard

"Who? Right about what?"

"That story" Castle points to the paper "You are the reason I changed. You do keep the city safe and I am so very lucky to come home with you and am really lucky to have you in my bed every night"

Richard Castle is not positive but he thinks she just blushed just a little but he is sure she will say the sun has put the crimson on her face

"Castle…" she closes the paper then looks back to him "Who knows Rick…you just might get lucky later…in that bed…"

He bends down and gives Kate a soft kiss just as two small children rush up to their parents.

Both are soaking wet but neither Kate nor Rick seem to mind

Jimmy starts up first as he climbs into Kate's lap "Daddy, I told you I am the only one to kiss mommy"

With the girl jumping up into her father's arms to kiss him "Love you daddy" she says in between loud smacking kisses

Rick and Kate look at one another and each mouths the words 'I love you' to one another

After getting the children bathed and into their pajamas, Castle brings out the meal he prepared before joining his wife outside. Chicken casserole. Made with pulled chicken, red and green peppers, three types of cheese sprinkled with chives and Italian seasoning over a crust made from pie crust rolled out flat over the bottom of the dish

After dinner while Alexis and Martha begin cleaning up the kitchen, Rick and Kate go upstairs and settle their two in bed.

While Kate is putting Jimmy down her husband is settling Alicia under her covers

Each parent is telling the children a story. Rick is now telling his daughter the made up story of him and Kate.

Kate is telling Jimmy about their story but now the later years

They leave the respective rooms at the same time and, hand in hand, go downstairs. As soon as they reach the main floor, Castle goes from door to door locking the high up locks designed to prevent small children from exiting the safety of the house and possibly wandering into the pool or even the ocean. He additionally sets the alarm that can only be deactivated by an adult, just in case either of the little ones figures out a way to climb up and unlock the mechanical safety

He enters the living room to find his three favorite adult women sitting around with wine in their hands. As he approaches Kate, she holds up a glass for him "Time to relax babe"

"Thanks" he says as he places himself down beside his wife

Kate turns to her husband "Are you the one who wrote that article?"

Martha looks puzzled "What article?"

Rick answers "There was a blurb in the paper about me and the writer had a lot of good things to say about my wife" he smiles toward Kate

"Yes they did but I am sure it was driven by something Castle said to someone"

"Kate, I promise I spoke to no one, but we have been seen in town doing exactly what the story said. All of us as a family"

OK" she ducks her head. Even after these last dozen years associated with Richard Castle, she still gets a little nervous when it comes to the media

Changing the subject "So Alexis…where are you going to do your residency?" Kate asks

"I have been offered to go to one of several hospitals…I am trying to decide which one. They are all prestigious teaching hospitals. I have until next week to decide"

"Well where ever you go, they will be lucky to have you"

Rick looks at Martha "So mother, have you decided to join summer stock here?"

"Yes, as a meter of fact. We are opening in two weeks at the Bridgehampton Playhouse Theatre. It is close enough for you two to come see me at least one night"

"Oh, we definitely will" Kate responds

After another few minutes of light conversation all four decide it is time for bed. Castle is the last to walk out of the room where he leaves a night light on at the stairs just in case it is needed.

He steps into the bedroom where he finds Kate is just dropping her underwear into the hamper and she steps toward the shower.

He closes and locks the door and walks toward the shower and drops his clothes as well.

Kate has turned on the water and looks over her shoulder "If you plan on getting lucky tonight you better hurry Castle?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Katherine Beckett is trying to convince her body it is time to wake up and begin her morning. But the activities that occurred in her bed last night are making her want to not move and would prefer to remain in the bed and under the covers with her husband for a few more minutes

She feels him directly behind her and as if on cue, he turns to spoon her back and places his arm around her waist and pulls her close to him where she goes willingly

She cannot help herself but a soft moan leaves her lips "Good morning" she hears softly spoken into her ear

"Good morning yourself" she takes his hand and pulls it further up her torso causing her husband to also make a sound closely related to an animal growl

"Last night was a good start to the week" she whispers

"Any week that begins that way cannot be all bad…in fact it is all good"

She lays back to look up to her husband "Am I really the reason you stopped running around?"

He is looking down to her face "You know you are the reason. I know you saw that video"

"WHAT video?" she tries to play dumb

"The party on Chad's boat"

"You know?"

"I'm not as dumb as people think. You left it on the computer. I had forgot all about that conversation. But I did remember Joy Mason coming by, however, but the rest of the day was blank"

She pokes his arm "Oh you do remember Triple B?"

"It is a fuzzy memory, but she holds nothing compared to my wife" she can see his love is still in his face as strong as their first night together

"Would you like to get lucky again Mr. Castle?" she smiles

"Always"


	2. Chapter 2

Richard Castle is in the middle of his breakfast duties when his long legged brunette wife sneaks up behind him and lays herself up against his back. She moves to his neck and places a soft kiss to him causing a shiver to go down his spine.

She is pleased that this still brings him to attention "Is my coffee ready?"

Before he reaches across the counter and hands her a cup, filled and ready to consume, he slides his hand from the middle of the back of her thigh all the way up to her backside causing her to giggle

He hands her cup to her

"The last thing I want to be faced with is a non-caffeinated Beckett this early in the morning"

She takes a sip then looks around to make sure they are still alone "You weren't interested in my caffeine status twenty minutes ago in there" pointing toward the master suite

"I was hoping that there might be some other things that would get your circulation going…"

She kisses him again "I love being here like this" she looks out the window toward the beach "No crimes to solve…No chapters to write…no rushing to get kids to school…able to sleep late" she looks around again "or do other things"

"I like those other things" he remarks

"Me too" she takes another sip of coffee

"I love you Kate" he gives her a soft kiss

"Back at ya" as she pulls him close

The quiet moment is broken by the sound of the children when they come bouncing down the stairs, wired, and ready to start the day

"Daddy…Jimmy won't wait for me. He runs too fast" Alicia is several steps behind her brother " His legs are bigger than mine" She loudly says

Kate reaches over to pull her daughter into her arms "When you get bigger, you will have longer legs too and you can keep up with him"

The little girl wraps her arms around her mother "Long legs like you mommy?"

"Yes little one…long legs like mine"

Kate looks at her husband who has now pictured his daughter looking like her mother at 16 in a mini dress and how he will have to stand at the door holding a severed head when the boys come calling to remind them what fate awaits if they become inappropriate with her

"I can see that look Castle" Beckett grins at her husband

"I have no idea what you are talking about" and he turns back to the bacon currently cooking in the skillet

Alexis is the last one to descent the stairs and walking to the breakfast area

"Still recovering from your internship?" Kate asks

She is answered with a yawn "I never knew you could stay up for 48 straight hours…but you can" She literally plops down on a stool. When she does a little brother begins to climb into her lap

"I missed you sissy"

She wraps her arms around him "I missed you too" The words no more leave her mouth when Alecia is off her mother's lap and trying to get up with Alexis

"I miss you too sissy"

"OKAY! OKAY! I missed all you guys. Now let's sit down and have breakfast so we can enjoy the next few days in peace and quiet"

The two smallest Castles move to their respective chairs and dig into the wonderful breakfast the father in the house has prepared for them

Just as the last bites are being eaten and the three children rush back upstairs there is knock at the front door "I'll go get it" Kate remarks since she is closest to the entry

As she approaches she can see through the window lights the figure of a woman on the porch.

She opens the door and is greeted by the smiling face of the next door neighbor, Sara Green-Edwards

"Hey Kate" she woman remarks as soon as she sees Beckett

"Hi Sara"

Sara holds up an empty coffee cup. I saw the SUV here and was hoping to get a cup of that delightful coffee you two make here"

Beckett smiles at her neighbor and now friend "Come on in. Castle just started a fresh pot" Kate stands to the side to allow the woman access

"Rick…Sara's here and wants coffee" Kate says to Castle

As the two women enter the kitchen area Castle remarks "Having a caffeine deprived Sara Green is second only to a caffeine deprived Kate Beckett"

He quickly sees a look from his wife and realizes this could be taken the wrong way. But only by someone who knew the remarks' origin

Realizing that comment might not be taken right Castle starts to explain "I…that wasn't… I didn't mean…" as Kate walks up to him "This is one of those times you need to stop talking"

"Yes ma'am" he spins and grabs his own cup and joins the two women at the table

Sara takes a sip of the coffee "I wish you could show Brett how you make coffee. He tries but this is the best"

Kate responds "Oh that is a family secret. In fact Rick will not even tell me. He says that is his way of making sure I don't kill him…at least until I get the secret out of him"

"Hey...that's not fair. I tell you how I make it"

"Only when I make it, it is not as good as when you make it" Beckett turns to face Sara "I am sure he has left some ingredient out of the recipe"

"Well whatever that secret is, it makes him the best"

Kate looks at her husband with a glimmer in her eyes "Yeah…he is"

"So Kate…are you and Rick here for anything special?"

"No. Just our usual mid-summer break. We plan to leave in a week. This just gives us all a little time to unplug form work and books and school. Speaking of school, I read that Robin and Brett junior are going to Harvard

"Yes they are. They begin in the fall. I understand Alexis is going to be doing her residency. Has she decided where yet?"

Kate responds "No. She has been offered Johns Hopkins, Parkland down in Texas and UCLA Medical center, just to name a few. She has until next week to decide"

"Well I am sure she will pick the best one. How much longer will she be here?"

"She leaves in two weeks" Kate answers "what about yours?"

"Same for them. They have to go early, register, pick their classes, and get a place to live. They are planning to rent an apartment together"

Rick sits down with the women "Do they realize that that may ruin their love life…people will not realize they are siblings. I knew a couple like that in college. They had to finally start every conversation with this is my sister or brother' "

Sara smiles "They did talk about that and are planning on making sure to not been seen together too much"

"That's good "Kate comments "So Sara, what has been happening out on the end of Long Island of interest? Just the usual illicit affairs and romantic getaways?"

She lets out a laugh "Oh I remember those days…and am so glad they are behind me"

Castle comments while looking at Kate "Me too"

"There has been a little mystery at the old lighthouse"

Kate remarks "Yes. I read that in the paper. Something about the light being turned off and they don't know who did it"

Sara sits beck up straight "Weeeeelllllll there is a little more to it" she almost laughs "It seems there have been witnesses who report they see something"

"Something?" Castle asks

Sara chuckles "Yeah. The lighthouse are is a favorite parking spot for the younger ones in the area and they have reported something odd taking place"

"How odd?"

"A glowing image in the tower after the light is out"

Castle sits straight up like a little boy who has just been told a ghost story "A GLOWING image? Like a ghost image?"

Kate looks across the table at her man "Castle…there are NO ghosts" It is obvious he has turned back into the little boy that Kate originally fell in love with

Looking at his wife but pointing at Sara "She said it"

"Sara said a glowing image…not a ghost" Kate remarks

"What else can you tell me about this ghost…ER…I mean glowing image" Castle chokes out.

"I heard that every time the light is turned off there is a glow that comes from the tower but by the time the authorities arrive there is no one there"

Castle leans into the table "Are there any witnesses we can talk to and get more information…" he looks at his wife who is definitely not on board with them getting into a criminal investigation

"I mean interview them for research" He looks at Kate "I might be able to use this in one of my books"

She smiles from ear to ear "you just want to go chase a ghost"

"Yes?"

"OK" Beckett turns to Sara "Can you get me the names of some of these people who have seen the ghost…er…I mean….glowing image?"

"As a meter of fact I can. Brett Jr and Robin have both seen the glow"

"Will you ask them to come talk to me?" Rick asks

Sara stands "Sure will and thanks for the coffee. It is always the best" and the neighbor leaves the house leaving the couple alone

"You want to spend our break chasing a glowing THING?"

He takes her hand "Not a THING…a ghost. I bet it's a ghost"

Kate sees in his face a childlike wonder that he has not has in many years

Looking at her husband "Okay. You can go ghost hunting"

"If we are going spirit hunting then Scooby needs his partner"

"Scooby DO? Are you wanting me to be Velma?"

"Velma? NO! Dauphine. . . . longs legs. . . .short skirt…"

Her appreciation of his love for her bubbles up. She stands and goes to her husband and puts her long fingers around his ears "If you want Dauphnie, we can go into town later and I will try on some outfits?"

Gulp

* * *

 **I did say MYSTERY . . .didn't I ?**

 **So now we have Romance, Drama, Humor, AND Mystery?**

 **I must be returning to my more fun stories**

 **What else do we need ?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Don't forget. This is going to be silliness. Total and complete silliness**

 **I think we need that since we lost our favorite show**

* * *

As Rick finishes cleaning up the kitchen and putting the breakfast utensils away. Kate has grabbed a quick shower and is finishing getting dressed before the company arrives

Sha wants to be ready when the Edwards children come by as promised by Sara to give Rick and Kate some information about the lighthouse story

She has dresses in an appropriate beach wear. A knee length shorts and cool flower print top and has donned a comfortable pair of sneakers

As she is walking back into the living room looking for Castle she hears the familiar Scooby Do theme song from the television show coming from the television. Kate sees her husband sitting on the edge of the seat on the couch intently looking at the screen

"I didn't know they ran the show during the week" Kate says as she walks toward her husband "Unless you are possible on the cartoon channel"

He never looks up but points toward the shelf "They don't… but I have the DVD"

Beckett walks up to the massive DVD. Blue-ray collection filling the wall and looks at the shelf he was indicating. She grabs a large box "You don't have just a few shows on A DVD" she pulls the box and holds it toward Castle "You have the complete series"

Not removing his eyes from the TV screen "Uh! Yeah I did buy the 'Complete Series' a few years ago"

His response brings a small laugh to his wife and a large smile. She knows that the guy who became her original partner has definitely returned. She now has two little boys in her house to deal with.

"Are you going to watch the entire series before you talk to the Edwards children?"

He still never looks up "No…just the ones with glowing ghosts"

Kate looks at the TV "Isn't that most of them?"

"Not green ghosts"

"And Sara said it was a glowing image…NOT a ghost. She never said ghost…Castle! There are no such things as ghosts"

He points at the television "Tell that to them"

The sound she issues is a one fast HA! As she turns to go answer the knock at the door that occurred just as she laughed

Opening the front entry Kate is met by the twin son and daughter of Brett Edwards and now adopted children of Sara Green-Edwards

"Robin…Brett…come in" Kate indicates for the two to enter as she turns toward the living room "CASTLE…the Brett and Robin are here" she then looks back to the guests

"When Rick heard about the glowing image in the lighthouse he reverted to his childhood self and has been watching all the Scooby Do television shows over again"

The two Edwards, no one can call them children since both are full grown, look at him with smiles on their faces "That's OK Mrs. Castle." Robin responds "we felt the same way after the first time that it happened"

Rick finally comes into the entry "Hi you two"

"Hello Mr. Castle" Brett says

Kate points toward the dining room "Let's go in there

"Thanks" Robin answers as the four moves to the dining room table. In the meantime Castle has picked up a pad of paper and pencil and is ready to take notes about the conversation

Rick and Kate has watched this pair and how they have grown from the two youngsters they first met on the cruise ship to two young adults preparing to fly from the nest and leave for an unfamiliar place and head off to school with hopes to become lawyers

Brett looks so much like his father, that Kate can recall when they knew one another in high school. Unfortunately she and Castle never met their birth mother but she must have been radiant since Robin is herself, stunning. Maybe it is best that she and her brother are going to be living together. He can help keep the wolves away from the door

"So your mom tells us that there have been some strange things happening at the lighthouse"

Robin responds first "The lighthouse is haunted"

Brett looks at his sister. "The lighthouse is NOT haunted, but we did see some strange things out there"

"Is it a glow at the lighthouse that both of you have seen it?" Kate asks

"Yes. In fact several have seen this but we did not tell the authorities"

"Why not?" Rick wonders

"The park is closed after dark and no one was supposed to be there and no one wanted to tell about the glowing thing we saw and get into trouble"

Kate smiles to Rick "You can tell me and Castle all about your ghost…er…glowing image"

"Yes, tell us what you saw" Castle begins. He seems more excited than before…if that is even possible

Robin looks at Brett to let him start "I don't know if you knew this, but the park has a reputation as a favorite parking spot for couples to go and…well do what couples do." He seems embarrassed by answering this question

"Don't worry" Beckett responds "It is well known as a place to go parking" she looks at Castle and smiles "It is not limited to younger people. There a few older couples we know who have been there" she can see Castle is understanding since him and her have been there several times as well

Castle continues the information gathering "OK. We know how you have used the park. So what did you see?"

Robin answers "On more than one night we would notice the light from the lighthouse would go off and stay off"

"What happened then?"

Brett responds "After the lamp went out, a glow appeared and it seemed to pulse. It got bright then dimmer"

"How long did this happen?" Castle asks

"We didn't always pay attention" Robin blushes as she responds "We were usually doing other…" her voice trails off

"Other things?" Kate comments with a smile

"Yeah"

Brett fills in more "I watched one time and the glow kept going for about fifteen minutes then just as suddenly as it started, it ended"

"Have any of your friends seen this?" Rick asks

"Several couples have talked about seeing strange things at the lighthouse but also strange things out on the water as well" Robin answers

Kate seems a little more interested now "Strange things such as?"

"Well a dim glow just off the horizon"

"Was the glow related to the lighthouse light?"

The two siblings look at each other and shrug their shoulders. Then Robin answers" Yeah. It happened at the bout same time"

Castle seems giddier with each added word

Beckett thinks they need to finish this conversation before her husband reverts to the 9 year old

"Thanks Robin…Brett. Castle and I will call you if we need anything more" Kate tell the two Edwards siblings as they stand to leave

After the door closes Castle seems like a child in need of medication for ADD

"Beckett, we need to go to the lighthouse and investigate this"

"CASTLE…we are on vacation. If I wanted to investigate a case, I would have stayed in the city"

"Come on Kate. This will be fun and we can have a cool story to tell our grandchildren"

The term grandchildren catches Kate a little off guard. "Castle, I am too young to be a grandmother"

"Yes you are, but you will be the hottest grandmother at the PTA meetings"

Kate realizes that with Alexis being full grown that she could in fact become a grandmother and Castle is right. She does still look good…good enough to keep her husband coming home every night and she does love having him there every night

"OK Castle…we will go ghost hunting but we will first contact the parks service and see what they can tell us and if it is OK for us to look into this"

His face spreads wide "Great and he rushes out to go get changed

Her face lights up knowing this is the man she loves even when he becomes Mork from Ork and grows younger than their own children


	4. Chapter 4

**Time for Angst ! ! !**

* * *

After leaving the children in the safe hands of their grandfather, Rick and Kate are on their way to meet the park service chief and hoping he will allow them come into the building and investigate the events that have been occurring at the tower

They have decided it would be best if they get an introduction from someone in local law enforcement. They are now headed toward the Hamptons' police department to meet up with Chief Brady.

Kate is looking out the window of the SUV that her and Castle bought after their second child was born. They needed a larger vehicle and one that would easily and safely transport the entire family and a large SUV would definitely fit that need and be the solution

The vehicle has three rows of seats the back two being equipped for securing child restraint seats. That was something that the Ferrari definitely does not have. With the space to comfortably seat 8 passengers the entire Castle clan can travel with room and comfort and even include Kate's dad when he comes along even later like this trip

Kate is enjoying the scenery, as she does every time they are here. Her husband is softly humming the theme song from Scooby Do causing her to just want to laugh out loud but she tries to keep the humor to herself

She finally looks across the front seat to her guy and can see him smiling obviously enjoying the possibility of getting into a ghostly mystery.

When he feels her eyes looking at him he looks away from the road momentarily and stops his humming when she sees her smiling eyes looking at him

"What?"

"Nothing" she smiles, then thinking to herself 'Why do I love this man so much? He is a dork!'

"You are thinking that we are not going to find any ghosts at the lighthouse, aren't you?"

"Castle…there are no ghosts. You have already looked for ghosts before and because there are no ghosts, you will not find any now"

"You just wait and see. Just because we didn't find them before, doesn't mean there are none. There are just too many people that have seen the ghost for it to not be true"

She is honestly enjoying seeing him act this way again since their lives have been so serious for the last few years. Her position with the police department brings them to all the serious crimes, not just murders. She thinks that maybe, just maybe she will enjoy the game as much as he obviously is.

"Anyway, Castle…they said image, not ghost"

"Image…ghost…same thing"

As they turn off the main highway that leads toward town Rick looks across the seat at his wife "We do need to make a quick stop up ahead and then we will go to the police station"

"CASTLE. Where are we stopping?" she looks across the front seat again knowing he has some devious plan cooking inside

"We just need to stop at a little store up here. You don't even have to get out and he pulls into the parking space in front of a very nondescript building. Only the letting on the canopy gave away the business

'Hamptons Sign Company'

"I'll be right back" he says as Rick jumps out of the SUV

Kate puts her head in her hands and then says to herself "OH NO!"

A minute later Castle comes out of the building holding a craft paper wrapped item, He unwraps the paper and places something against the side of the vehicle and she can hear a slap as he release the other end of the magnetic sigh. He throws the paper it in the back and jumps into the driver's seat "Ready to go?" he looks at his wife who still has her head buried in her hands

She does not even look up "Castle! Please tell me you didn't buy what I think you did?"

His face lights up "It's a magnetic sign and we take it off when we are finished"

She just shakes her head back and forth as they pull back out on the main street heading toward the police station

Inside the city complex, Castle pulls into a parking spot and jumps out of the SUV. He looks back at Kate who has not moved from her seat "Beckett…come on. Let's go see Brady and talk to him"

Beckett looks at herself in the makeup mirror behind the sun visor "You married him…you had a choice and you married him" then she actually giggles

Getting out of the door she tried to NOT look back to the van and she moves quickly into the building so to not be seen near the vehicle

Once inside the front door several voices can be heard welcoming them to the station

Hey Potter" Castle remarks as he and Kate step up to the front desk

"Rick, Kate…good to see you two" Officer Potter responds as he stands and goes to meet the visitors "Great to see you two"

"Good to see you too "Potter" Beckett remarks

Castle continues "How is life in the Hamptons?"

"Really quiet…as usual" is the simple answer

"Well what about the ghost in the lighthouse?" Rick seems ready to get started on his investigation

"Oh!...that? We have been getting reports from the teenagers mostly claiming they saw some type spirit but, fortunately, we get to turn them over to the park service and don't have to be bothered by that type silliness and getting embarrassed by having to look into the reports like we believe that junk or something. Anyone who believes in ghosts must be completely…" he suddenly stops his rant when he looks outside and sees Castles' car

He then looks back at Rick then at Kate who seems to be avoiding the officers look "I bet you came for Chief Brady. I'll go get the boss" and he turns and rushes off

"I wonder why he stopped talking" Rick asks looking back outside

Kate glances at her husband and has to laugh once more "Are you serious? Did you look at our…er…your SUV?"

He turns to look out the window "What about it?"

"CASTLE? You put 1960's mod squad flowers on the van and a sign that says "Mystery Machine? SERIOUSLY?"

He look outside "So?"

"Rick, Kate" Chief Brady steps up to the counter "Great to see you two. What brings you out to my door? Wanting to confess to some unsolved crime?"

"Not hardly Chief but we want information on a possible crime happening nearby"

"What is that?"

"The lighthouse and the green ghost"

Kate whispers "there is no such thing as ghosts"

"Oh…that?" Brady responds "The park service is dealing with those reports. We got kids coming in telling they saw something green glowing in the light tower"

"That's the deal we are talking about"

"We just chalk it up to teenager's raging hormones and pass them over to the park captain"

Rick seems really excited about following up "Can you put us in contact with him? We want to look into this"

Kate whispers low "You want to look into this"

Brady answers as she reaches for his phone "The Park Captain is "Greigo…Carlos Greigo. Let me give him a call and let him know you are coming out

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The two are heading down the road almost to the lighthouse tower when Rick makes a comment "The last time we were here it was dark… and quiet… and a nice evening… and…"

"And we were engaged in activities unbecoming a police captain" Kate chuckles

"I don't remember hearing any complaints from you that night. In fact the only thing I heard from you was…"

"STOP Castle…especially if you ever want to hear sounds like that again"

"Yes ma'am"

Castle looks at his wife and smiles. She returns the knowing look

As they arrive at the gate, a state parks and wildlife vehicle pulls up beside them. As the captain gets out of his car he looks at the magnetic signs Castle placed on the SUV and just shakes his head

Rick and Kate step out of the Van and greet the officer "Hello. I am Rick Castle and this is my wife Captain Kate Beckett NYPD and we want to thank you for meeting us on such short notice"

"Hi. I'm Captain Carlos Greigo, Call me Carl. And not a problem But when I pulled in and saw the signs on the van I thought I might be running into more ids wanting to look in the tower. We are getting a lot of school kids trying to get in. You understand"

"Yes, captain "Beckett responds "we do understand" She looks at Rick "It's just my husband is reliving his childhood"

The park's officer just smiles "Listen. Since you are law enforcement, I have no problem letting you two go inside without me, but I do want to warn you there is some mechanical equipment that can be dangerous so watch your step. When the lamp is rotating you can get caught in the gears and get hurt. But the machines is shut off right now"

He hands a ring with some keys to Beckett" Just keep these in your care and lock the door when you leave. I have a call across the island to go check on. I'll be back in a couple of hours and we can meet up to get them back to me"

After assuring the captain they would take good care of the key ring the park officer leaves

/\/\/\/\/\

Kate opens the door and she and her husband enter the circular structure.

As they start to climb the spiral staircase to reach the top of the lighthouse tower, Castle finds himself in a positon that he remembers so very well from the hours immediately before them becoming a couple.

The time they spent in the underground bunker brings back some fond memories for Richard Castle. Memories of a time he thought Kate was still dating Josh and he was never going to have her for his own

The view he had as she climbed the stairs from the lower level to the main level with her hands full and asking him to keep her from falling and to take hold of her legs but, in spite of what he knew would mean certain death, he took hold of something much more firm and interesting

Kate's long body is in front of him as she begins to step up along with her legs and the other bits he appreciates so very much. He is soon at eye level with her back side. Oh that delectable back side.

To see this woman now, it is impossible to believe she has carried two children and still pulls her husband in with her lithe body. At least now he can think that, and say that, but he no longer has to try and not be drawn to her firm assets

And her assets are still very firm

As she begins her climb, he only needs to delay his action until later when they are home alone…but he simply cannot…resist her

The sound Kate makes is somewhere between a scream and a squeak echoes thru the stone chimney. Someone hearing the sound she makes would not be sure if she was hurting or enjoying whatever caused the noise

She looks back over her shoulder at her husband "CASTLE…what ARE YOU doing?"

"Enjoying the view from the stairs"

"You seem to be really enjoying MORE than just the view"

"Okay. Can't I just enjoy grabbing my wife's…?"

"Don't finish that sentence if you want to keep enjoying IT when we get back home"

Feeling a little silly, "Why do we have to wait till we get home?" he remarks "there is no one here. The place is off limits but to those authorized to be here. You have the keys. No one will discover us

He can feel the flare from her eyes grow then her face changes to a smile "It has been a while…hasn't it?" referring to their sometimes dangerous escapades "since we did…" she looks around the tower "anything crazy. Hasn't it?"

"I think it was at the shooting range afterhours" is his response

Her face glows at the remembrance at what they did that night "Oh yeah. That night we convinced the range Sargent we needed a little more practice and we would take care of locking up"

He smiles at the way she says practice

He continues after her remarks "I also remember the first time we were at the range together. You stepped up behind me and I almost lost it when I felt you pressed into my back"

She almost laughs out loud "Is that the time you said you shot too soon?" she sees the silly little boy she married come out

"I never said that or did that"

"Not at home you don't" she whispers causing him to gasp for air "but I am not sure there is a place we could stop for that"

"We can go to the very top. There is a platform that surrounds the light's turntable. We could…"

"CASTLE…that is surrounded by a clear glass wall. We would be seen for miles"

"Not if we stayed low"

She smiles again "OK, but let's hurry up. I don't want to get caught by Carl"

The two begin a more rapid ascent up the stairs.

When the top platform comes into sight they are both acting a little giddy…

But the hoped for tryst is halted when they step off on the top level and are shocked to see a man's body caught up in the gear mechanism that drives the light

* * *

 **OK...NO ANGST for our pair But what an interruption**


	5. Chapter 5

It is fortunate for the park service and the local police departments that Captain Kate Beckett is an experienced police officer, trained in forensic discovery, DNA protection precautions and observation of crime scenes.

Within thirty minutes of the discovery the area was filled with both park police and local offices beginning their investigation

The fact that she and her husband were the ones to discover the boy in the lighthouse brought a different level to the beginnings of the investigation. The closest to crime scene contamination came when both of them were almost crawling from the steps to on the floor, trying to reach the top level and to not be seen from anyone who might be in the area surrounding the building. Their movements might have moved some dust toward the body but hopefully not damaging.

Castle and Beckett are standing on the ground beside the door when the parks captain pulled up "Hey you two" Carl laughs "I leave you two alone in my lighthouse and you discover a body?"

"Yes sir" Kate responds showing respect for the officer "We just topped the stairs when we saw the corpse"

Castle continues "He was all tangled in the gear mechanism. I think it probably is what drives the beacon to spin"

"Sounds like it" Captain Greigo looks up the building "Have the local police begun investigating?"

Having him look up causes both Castle and Beckett to do the same. Then Kate answers "Yes Chief Brady has started hiss investigation"

Carl looks back down "Are you going to assist?"

"This is your jurisdiction Captain. I was not going to step in any toes here" Kate responds

"Captain Beckett. Your reputation proceeds you wherever you go. I would be honored for you to bring your years of experience to this case"

"I will be glad to aid in any way I can" Beckett responds "Do you or Chief Brady have an ME in route?"

"I don't have one availiable and I think the Hampton's coroner is on vacation. We will have to call someone in from the county and that might take up to a day"

"Captain Greigo?" Castle starts to ask "Our daughter, Alexis, is a doctor with experience in forensics while interning with Dr. Lanie Parish, the ME in New York. Would she be an acceptable substitute?"

"That should be alright with me, but I will check with Brady on that"

Just as he makes this statement, the local police chief exits the doorway "Hey Carl…someone put a body in your lighthouse" he points his thumb toward the top of the tower

"That's what I hear. Can you tell much about him?"

"Not really. The body is mangled in the gear mechanism. We couldn't see a face so we don't have any idea how old or young, but we are sure the victim is male. It is going to take a mechanic to release the tension on the gears before we can even attempt to take him out, but I really want the medical examiner to look at him first, but he is off at the moment"

Pointing at Rick and Kate Greigo remarks "Castle said his daughter has some experience in forensics and she is a medical doctor"

"Fresh out of her internship" Kate reminds everyone "and next heading to her residency in a couple of weeks"

"That still makes her an MD" Carl states. "And with some coroner experience. I am good with asking her to look into this if you are Chief"

"I've known Alexis for years and she will do nicely" Brady answers

With everyone in agreement Castle takes out his phone and calls his daughter, tells her about the crime, and asks her if she would be interested in helping at the crime scene. She willingly agreed telling her dad she would be there in about an hour

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rick and Kate have gone back into the tower to do some investigating while they wait on Alexis arrival. They want to look around for any obvious evidence that they missed. During their first time on the platform they were obviously interested in something other than a dead body when they first climbed to the top level.

This time as Kate proceeds Rick up the stairs he is keeping his mind where it needs to be. On the case. His other plans put on the back burner for the moment

When they reach the top level they both begin a deliberate search of the area making note as to what they see and find.

Kate looks at Rick. "I know that you were wanting to do something other than find a body when we were here before" she has a hint of glee in her voice

"I think you were just as interested in that something 'Other' as I was" Castle responds

Kate smiles at her husband showing him that she was just as interested as he was in a little frisky activity but, unfortunately, it was interrupted. She then turns her attention back to the evidence at hand

The first thing they notice is a flashlight on the floor with a phone a few feet away from the lamp. Kate takes out her cell phone and begins taking photographs of what they see.

"Look Beckett" Castle points to the floor where there appear to be scuff marks. It looks like there was a fight or something was drug here"

She takes a couple of photos then looks up "Yeah. It appears our victim might have put up a fight before being caught up in the gears"

There is also a large amount of white plastic like material crushed on the floor and what appears to be some type stains associated with these items. The plastic looks like drinking straws but a much thicker material

"I wonder who he was?" Rick calmly asks as he is intently looking at the man whose body is caught up in the gear mechanism

"Maybe an accomplice or just a poor spectator trapped-up in the ghost story" Kate answers

"So it is a ghost story?"

Beckett looks away while giving an eye roll "Sorry. Poor choice of words"

They continue their observation beginning at the stairs then around to the opposite side of the tower. This is when they notice the window facing the water is swung open. Not fully open but no longer latched either

Beckett walks up to the window where her face is awash with the cool sea breeze coming in off the ocean "This evening would have been nice if we didn't have a dead body to break the spell"

Castle walks up behind his wife and whispers in her ear "Kate, being with you is a magic spell all of its own"

She seems to become melancholy. "Castle, you have made me become a believer in magic" she looks over her shoulder at her husband "Our life is magic. Our marriage is magic. I wonder sometimes if we need to move forward and go on with the magic instead of spending every day chasing bad guys"

Rick is surprised to hear her make this statement. Is she suggesting that she is ready to pull the plug and stop doing this?

"Kate, what are you saying?"

She turns to look at the body then back at her husband "My family is more important"

She lets out a soft sigh just as the sound of someone coming up the steps can be heard.

They break from each other and walk back to the entry way. There, they are met with Alexis followed closely by Carl Greigo

"Hey mom. Hey dad" Alexis glances at the corpse "I can't trust you two to go on a simple ghost hunt without stumbling onto a body?"

Beckett responds "Evidently not. Your dad and I came up here to check out the story about images and we found a John Doe all wrapped up in the mechanism"

Alexis walks around the platform looking at the gear box and the man wrapped into the teeth on the wheel. She stops for a brief moment. "I don't think he died of natural causes"

"That goes unsaid" Castle remarks

"No. The knife wound in his side and defensive marks on his hands pretty much rule out an accident"

"I missed the knife wound" Beckett responds

"I saw a lot of these type injuries during my ER rotation. Working in a major city trauma center you pretty much see it all"

Captain Greigo is impressed with Alexis abilities and experience "When do you think we can try to extricate the victim?"

Alexis walks around one more time "Give me about thirty minutes to take some photographs and do a few swabs and you can have the mechanic release the wheel"

"That's good" Kate remarks "your dad and I will go back down and start writing some notes"

Alexis responds "Great…and will you send the technicians up with the body bag so when we get him out they can get him into the van and back to the morgue…" She looks at Carl "There is a morgue nearby, isn't there?"

"Oh yes. There is one in Montauk. I will arrange for you to make use of it" and Captain Greigo heads back down the steps behind Castle and Beckett

Once they arrive on the ground Kate looks at her husband "She really has grown up, hasn't she? She had a good role model in Lanie"

Rick looks at Kate smiling "And in you"

Kate drops her head then looks back up when she hears Carl step from the tower "You two have quite a woman there"

Castle proudly answers "Well she did have a good mom to help raise her" looking back at Kate again

"I can see that" he also looks at Beckett

"Thanks Captain but I am only her step mom, but I have known her since she was 15. I first met her, she was having to raise her father"

"It looks like she did a good job" Carl laughs

"Captain Greigo, Castle and I will go write up our notes and meet you in the morgue in the morning for the autopsy"

"See you two then" He responds and walks away

"Kate looks at her husband "Let's go home. I have some unfinished business to attend to"

"What is it you need to do at home?" Castle asks

Kate smiles and the look in her eyes tells all "YOU"

* * *

 **I really don't need to comment...do I?**


	6. Chapter 6

When Rick and Kate arrive back at their home and they see Jim's car is gone.

"Dad must have taken the kids into town" Kate remarks

"Yeah probably" Castle responds "He enjoys the two of them. He is a good granddad"

"Yes, except my dad spoils them to no end" Kate gives a little smirk

Rick smiles at Kate as he is placing the SUV into park "That's what a grandparent does. They spoil the grand kids then send them back home to mommy and daddy to deal with"

Kate opens her door as her husband tries to get to her side to help her out.

Once inside the house Kate removes her jacket and Rick does as well dropping them onto the back of the couch

When they go to the kitchen they find a note on the refrigerator from Jim 'Went to town to see a movie and have supper. Will be back in time for bed'

Kate looks at the time and then to her husband and smiles. She looks down at his hand and wraps her fingers around his and begins pulling him in the direction of their master suite. When they enter, she closes the door behind her

She silently walks up to her husband and begins unbuttoning her blouse "Now…let's see…I believe I said I had someone I needed to do when we got home"

Castle looks at Kate's hands as she is slowly removing her top causing her to pause "Is there something wrong babe?"

"Nothing…nothing is wrong at all. In fact everything is fantastic"

"Then why are you looking at me that way?"

Castle wraps his arms around his wife "I am trying to figure out how I have ended up with the most beautiful…intelligent…sexist woman in the world"

"You wooed her with your books. You know fangirl things and all that"

He kisses the top of her head. "Well then let me do some more wooing"

She mumbles into his chest "It's about time…"

The next hour is spent in the most gentle lovemaking either of them has ever experienced. Not rushed. Not frantic. Just slow and easy

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Looking at the clock Castle decides that Alexis will probably be home any minute and Jim will probably be not far behind. He pulls in behind Kate and draws her to him "That was unbelievable"

She moves softly back against her husband "Umm" her eyes are still closed "It WAS very nice"

"Is there something I need to know about Kate?"

She never turns her head "No…why?"

"We almost had wild crazy sex at the top of a lighthouse and a few hours later we did what we just did... Soft…slow…gentle lovemaking. Two very different experiences"

She turns her head toward him "I love you babe"

"I love you too…Kate are you sure there is nothing wrong?"

"No. All is good

"Why do I not believe that?"

She turns on her back so she can see his face "We are good together…aren't we?" She makes it sound more of a statement than a question

"There have never been any better"

"I mean not just the sex which is fantastic…but we are so different, you and I, yet we are so good together?"

"You and I are like puzzle pieces. When you look at them alone they seem to be unrelated and there is nothing there that can be seen or connected. But when they are assembled they fit together perfectly and you can see the big picture"

He pauses for a heartbeat "And I love the big picture we created"

She is not telling him that this big picture is what she has on her mind at this moment

She turns over on to her other side and is facing her husband "Have you ever thought about our future?"

"Yes…all the time"

She lets out a little giggle "I'm not talking about planning the next time we make love or come up with a crazy place to have sex. But where our lives will be in five or even ten years? Jimmy will be 16 and Alecia will be 13. Both still in school and when they have parent's day we come in and tell the class we chase murderers who cut people up and grind them into gearboxes at lighthouses"

"Well I only write about that"

"I do investigate that and together WE do chase the bad guys and they are brutal and do terrible things. I am not sure I want that to be our children's legacy"

After a pause she continues "Earlier I was sitting out on the patio reading the paper. There were No murders to report. Only stories about local citizens….including you and I"

"Kate that is the way it is out here. That is why we come here. To get away from the city…the grit and the grime of everyday life there"

She looks deeply into her husband's eyes "Have you ever thought about what would happen if I retired?"

This question pulls Castle away from any other thought he has "What? You want to give up what you have been doing for the last twenty plus years?"

"I don't know" she seems to think a little more "When I lost my mother I made a conscious decision and decided that I would never love another human being and I would focus only on finding her killer and bring justice to the families of other victims"

"I know. That focus is one of the things that I fell in love with about you"

"I know it was. Then you gave me a reason to love again and then gave me two children to love. Now my life is filled with love. You, Martha, Alexis, Jimmy, Alicia, and my dad. This is what makes me wonder where I need to be"

"Kate….you are the best investigator the City of New York ever had and you are important to the citizens"

"I know. But I also know that being here with you…with our more important"

"Are you seriously thinking about putting in your papers?"

She shifts a little in the bed "I would receive full retirement complete with insurance. I have the trust fund my mom set up that I have not had to touch…" she slides her hand across his chest "because of you"

"Kate…you don't need any of that. You know my books have been good to me. Fortunately I invested well we are financially stable. There is nothing we or the children will ever want for"

She gives his chest a slap "If I retire from the police force you might not be as interested in me anymore and just dump me on a nearby street corner with just the clothes on my back and I will have to fend for myself"

Katherine Beckett-Castle…the one thing I will never ever do is to dump you. Especially on a street corner. Maybe in front of a homeless shelter but never…"

He can't even finish before she pokes him then give him another soft kiss "We better get up and get dressed before Alexis gets home" and she stands up and heads into the dressing area

Castle calls out behind her "She's a doctor now you know. There is nothing that she hasn't seen before"

Kate sticks her head around the corner giving her husband a glare. Castle realizes what he just said "That sounded better in my brain before I said it"

/\/\/\/\/\/\

The two have dressed and are in the kitchen preparing dinner when they hear the door open and the sound of their red headed medical professional "Mom, Dad…I'm home"

"In the kitchen Kate responds "Dinner is almost ready"

"Great! I'm starved" Alexis enters the room and drops down on the stool

"Hey pumpkin how did it go?" Castle asks his daughter

"Dad. I am a grown woman. Don't you think I have outgrown the pet names?"

Kate looks at her step daughter "If I haven't outgrown my dad's pet names…what makes you believe you ever will?"

"Okay. So we got the man out and to the morgue. He is a white male around 30. Six foot 210 pounds. Well kept. Short haircut…almost military. Clean shaven. He had defensive marks on his arms and hands. His wallet was missing"

Beckett speaks up "So a robbery then?"

"Probably not, he still had cash in his front pocket. More like the killer took the wallet to find out who he was"

"So no ID on him yet?" Castle asks his daughter

"I just got the prints into AFIS before I left. It might take until tomorrow to get the first return"

Beckett asks the follow up "Were you able to get a definitive COD?"

"On quick examination the stab wounds were the cause"

"WOUNDS…as more than one?"

"Yes the one I saw before we extricated the body was only one of four we found, but for tonight we just packed him onto the vault and I will finish in the morning"

There is a moment of silence then Alexis continues "You know I didn't realize how much I missed the work I did with Lanie"

"So you were glad to do this for the police?" Kate asks

"It felt good to accomplish what we did and I am looking forward to finishing tomorrow"

"Well that is great pumpkin…" Castle starts a statement when there is a knock on the front door

Alexis stands and up "I'll get it" and she heads for the entry

When she opens the door a man's voice can be heard "I need to see Doctor Castle?"

"I am Doctor Alexis Castle. What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to you about a set of fingerprints you sent into AFIS" the man answers

Castle has recognized the voice and walks quickly into the foyer followed closely by his wife

"Agent Fallon…what are you doing here?"

* * *

 _ **I told you nor angst for our lovebirds...well maybe leaving the force?** _

**A nice place to leave the weekend**


	7. Chapter 7

To say that Mark Fallon was the last person any of the Castles were expecting would be an understatement.

Rick and Kate had not seen the Homeland Security Agent in about ten years and Alexis had no idea who the man was

"Agent Fallon…come inn" Rick remarks as he steps aside to allow the man in enter the home

Alexis has a look of questioning on her face

"Mr. Castle. I did not expect to see you today or any day for that matter but I should not be surprised since the person I was looking for has the same last name"

Alexis turn to her father "Who is Agent Fallon?" looking back to the guest

"Kate and I had…um…an interaction with him several years ago"

The federal agent looks at Castle now knowing that he must not have told his daughter anything about their previous encounter. He is next shocked when Kate Beckett turns the counter "Mark Fallon. You are someone I never expected to see ever again"

He now has a more intense look of shock on his face "Detective Beckett?"

"It's Captain now"

"I believe I did hear that somewhere but…" he looks between the three not sure what to say "But I did not know about you two…"

"Married… with children" Castle comments

"Really? I thought you said…" he points at Kate "That you two were not a couple and I thought you were with someone else at the time I believe?"

"We weren't together at that time…No" She answers

Castle looks at Kate with the same amount of love for her that she experiences now every day "But things have changed…"

Kate finishes the thought "and changed for the better"

Agent Fallon seems unmoved by the revelation and returns to his original goal "I need to talk to Doctor Castle" he looks at Alexis who has stood-by while her parents who seem to be familiar with the visitor but have not given her even a clue about who he is and why he would be here

"What is it that I can do for you Mr. Fallon?" Alexis asks then looks at her mom and dad "And we will see what you can do for me later"

Alexis looks in Rick and Kate's direction putting them on notice that she full well intends to carry on the inquisition later

"Dr. Castle….please understand that my prior meeting with Mr. Castle and Detective Beckett…" he points toward the couple "your mom and dad is, unfortunately, classified and I am not permitted to give you any more information than that they saved the City of New York a few years back" then he looks toward Kate and Rick "and maybe now their daughter might save us once again"

He pause for a moment "I am Special Agent Mark Fallon and I'm with the office of Homeland Security

"Agent Fallon…" Alexis starts up "this sounds very sinister. So what is this all about?"

"The fingerprints that were entered into AAFES by you sent up a red flag on my radar"

"Was he a person that homeland security was looking for?" Castle asks

He pauses before completing "The man whose prints that you entered was Lance Walker"

Fallon pauses just a moment before finishing "And no we were not looking for him. Actually he was an agent on my team. He had been working with me for the last five years"

"What was he doing here, on Long Island?" Beckett questions

It is obvious that Fallon was uncomfortable in answering the question. But after a few seconds "I am not comfortable in answering that question"

Rick starts his comments "Agent Fallon. Your man was found dead in the lighthouse out here. There has been some strange activity related to the tower"

"What type of activity?"

"The main torch has been turned off and strange lights have been seen in the windows"

"Lights? What do you mean…lights?"

Kate rolls her eyes as her husband continues his story

"Several people have reported seeing a strange glow. You know like a ghost or something appearing in the tower"

Fallon seems a little putout himself "There are no such things as ghosts. Anyone who believes that is just stu…"

Beckett cuts him off to protect her husband's dignity "Agent Fallon…there have been many reports of the glowing and some have reported that they saw a ghost, but we all" she looks at Rick "know there are no ghosts…right?"

Castle succumbs to his wife's comment "OK…so there are NO ghosts, but you did say our body was a spook"

"Agent Fallon" giving her man a silly smirk Beckett begins back up "your agent, our dead body, was found murdered and caught up in the lamp rotation mechanism at the Montauk Lighthouse"

The remark brings a question on the face of the Homeland agent "He was caught up in the gears?"

"Yes. His body had been thrown or fell into the gearbox and caught up in the teeth" Alexis responds

"Was that the cause of death?"

"No. He had several stab wounds"

"OH?" Fallon remarks more like a question "So the cause of death was not the wheels but the stab wounds? He was murdered then?"

"Yes. He was stabbed to death"

"Agent Fallon" Beckett starts up "Why was your agent here or was he just on vacation?"

"He was here on a case"

Acting just like a real medical examiner "What was the case?" Alexis starts asking

There is a momentary pause before Fallon continues "I need to get the authorization from higher up before answering that question. In the mean time I will get the FBI in here to begin the investigation"

Beckett responds quickly "Fallon, if your man was here on a case it means you suspect terrorism…"

Castle continues the thought "…and the last thing you want is the bad guys to know you are here…"

"And that Lance was with DHS" Kate asks

"Wouldn't it be better for the murder to be investigated locally?" Castle questions

A smile appears on Fallon's face "I see that you two are still finishing each other's sentences"

The pair looks at one another

"And that is why I was positive you two were a couple back when I first met you. You two belonged together back then"

"So?" Kate begins "Are you going to let us take care of this or will we have the problems from before?"

"I thought his would be a local case or at the worst a state level event" Agent Fallon remarks "I didn't know you had jurisdiction here Captain?"

"Mom has been asked to look into the murder by both the local and state officials" Alexis responds

Again Fallon just glances between the now three people "I think this is going to be good. Let me contact up my chain of command and see about reading all of you in on the case"

"Thank you Agent Fallon" Beckett remarks

"And see if we can fill Alexis in on events from ten years ago"

"I will check first thing in the morning and get back to you"

"In the morning then" Castle responds as the federal agent moves to the door

"And nice to meet you Dr. Castle" and the agent exits the home

Alexis looks back at her parents "I think now would be a good time to tell me about this man? He seems to know an awful lot about you two and your history of missing out on being with each other"

"Pumpkin let's just wait and see what he says. It is classified and Kate and I could get in a lot of trouble if we told you, so wait until tomorrow…OK?"

She lets out a gentle huff "Good night" she walks over and gives each a kiss "I have some things to do before I jump back into the autopsy tomorrow" and Alexis heads upstairs

"I hope he lets us tell her about our history" Castle remarks "We just need to give her all the cold hard facts of what happened"

"I don't know Rick. "Kate slides up and wraps her arms around her husband's arm "Huddling in a freezer sounds cold but I think it could have become hard if we had had the time"

Castle turns and is about to drag his wife to the bedroom when the front door opens and two little Castles and one grandfather enter. The little ones have obviously had a good time but they both are dragging, sleepy, and are ready to go to bed

Rick and Kate walk to the children. "Let's get your baths and into bed" Kate remarks and neither child argues about bedtime tonight

After getting the young ones off and tucked into bed, Rick and Kate join her dad out on the three season porch. He has a glass of sparkling cider and is looking out the screens and into the night sky.

Rick and Kate have also chosen glasses of the non-alcohol drink as well and have joined the older Beckett in the quiet of the night

Jim Beckett speaks first "Rick I want to say thank you"

"You're welcome…but what did I do?"

"You brought back my daughter. The happy little girl I missed having" He looks in Kate's direction "The woman I raised and lost. And especially giving me the two most precious gifts a man could want in those two upstairs in their beds"

Rick feels his hand being wrapped into Kate's once more

Rick looks at Kate and even though it is dark she can feel Castle's smile "I need to thank you, Jim, for having raised such a wonderful example of womanhood and letting me love her"

The three sit in relative silence until finally Jim stands "I am heading to bed. I will see you in the morning" and he enters the house and moves to the stairs

"Well Mr. Castle…it's just you and me" Kate kisses Rick's arm

"It is Mrs. Castle…Care to join me in there?" He points his thumb toward the door

Once they are ready for bed, Kate snuggles up to her husband as she has done virtually every night since they have been together.

She feels the warmth from him and he feels the warmth from her.

Afraid to break the magic of the moment, Castle asks a serious question he feels needs to be addressed "Kate are you seriously considering retirement from the force?"

He does feel a tensing of her body then she relaxes "It has crossed my mind. Especially in the last few weeks"

"Any particular reason?"

"Rick. I love being here with you and the children. I love you and I want more of this" she pulls his arm tighter around her

"Kate. Is there anything wrong?"

"No…"

"Is it something I did?"

She turns to face him and snuggles up as close as possible "The only thing you did was love me…as flawed as I was back then and refused to go away and get out of my personal life" she smiles at him

"You know I was just trying to get you in my bed"

She pulls him closer "Well guess what. It worked" 


	8. Chapter 8

Kate has awakened from a too short of a sleep. Her mind is engaged in an argument with itself. She is not sure which side is winning

The world around her is pulling her one direction then to another. Her heart is filled with uncertainty. She is not positive which way she should go

She decides to stop fighting the inevitable lack of sleep and against her trues desires, she exits the warmth of the bed and moves into the kitchen where she can get her morning fix of caffeine and maybe decide on when to talk to her husband all the while beginning to fix breakfast for her brood.

She has just finished her second cup of coffee and has finished the bacon. She is mixing the ingredients for waffles and is looking out the kitchen window at a beautiful view of the ocean and the serenity of this place when she thinks she hears a sound coming from the master bedroom. It sounds like her husband rising and heading her way

/\/\/\/\/\

Richard Castle wakes to an empty bed. He speaks softly to see if his wife is in the master suite, in the dressing room, or in the bath room but no response comes. He knows she has left the area

He stands and puts his robe around himself and moves quietly into the main portion of the house.

As he nears the kitchen he catches the aroma of breakfast in process

Coffee, Bacon, and an aroma that definitely appears to be waffles

He stops in his forward motion to take in the sight before him. Standing at the sink, looking outside is the tall, slender, stunning woman who has taken him for herself. Stolen his heart and insinuated herself into every fiber of his body

He can tell that she has already been up for some time as the morning meal is almost complete.

He has begun to wonder what is happening inside her mind right now. On one hand she seems distant with some thoughts pulling at her., distracting her. Yet at the same moment she is the same brilliant, loving, sensuous, and passionate woman he fell in love with so many years before

"Good morning babe" she speaks without even looking up from her cooking duties

Rickard Castle walks up behind the sexy woman he is married to and wraps his arms around her. From the back he leans into the back of her neck and places a kiss to the soft skin behind her right eat drawing a soft 'hum' to emanate from somewhere deep inside her body and she leans back into his embrace

"Smell's delightful" He remarks as he tries to reach around her attempting to benefit from the distraction and grab a slice of bacon from the plate

His hand draws back quickly stinging from a slap delivered by a cooking spatula being wielded by his wife "Ouch!"

"You can wait until everyone else is up before getting your share of this" Kate laughs at her husband's antics

He pulls her tighter and speaks softly into her ear "I can think of something I don't want to share"

Again she leans back into him "Me too, but we need to get the children fed first"

Castle steps away from Kate thinking this might not be the best time to talk about what is going on inside her and picks up the coffee carafe instead and pours himself a cup and refills Kate's as well

Just as he does a pair of bare feet can be heard running across the room. "Morning you two" Kate remarks again without even turning around"

She hears Jimmy tell his little sister "SEE. I told you mommy has eyes in the back of her head. She didn't even look to see us coming"

The tiniest Castle is heard to answer "Yeah! Mommy sees everything"

She looks Castle's direction and with a cute smirk on her face remarks back to the boy's comment "I am fixing waffles. Who wants one?"

Both respond ME! ME!" then from higher up the stairs an older female voice is heard "Me too" as Alexis turns the corner"

"Sit down and they will be ready in just a minute" Beckett pours batter in to the waffle iron and closes the lid

Just as the third waffle comes off the grill the voices of Martha and Jim can be heard from the top of the stairs. Jim is asking Martha about her upcoming performance at the playhouse

As they enter the kitchen Kate turns to them "Waffles are almost ready"

"Katherine darling. That smells so good. Thank you" Martha responds followed quickly by Jim

"Katie, the aroma makes me hungry. Thank you"

Castle takes out two additional coffee cups, fills them and places them in front of Martha and Jim

Looking up from the breakfast plates, Martha asks "What is happening with you two today?" directing the question at her son and daughter-in-law

Rick turns to answer "We were hoping you or Jim might watch the kids while Kate and I do little investigating in town on the murdered man we found in the lighthouse yesterday"

When Castle remarks about the "murdered man" Kate seems to flinch and looks over at her children then back at her husband and gives him 'The Look'. "Can we change the conversation while the kids are close by?"

He understands her desires "Yes. We can talk about other things"

Martha also can tell that Kate does not want the conversation over breakfast and in front of the children to center on murdered persons "I think I would be able to give these two a trip around town today. In fact I think I heard something about a carnival opening on the parking lot down by the shopping center"

She looks at her grandchildren "would you two like to go there today?"

The response is immediate and loud "YES! Yes Grams"

Kate looks at her two children and speaks "you finish your breakfast then go get ready and grams will take you to ride the rides"

The speed that the meal is completed is almost immediate

After the two head back upstairs to get ready for their day Alexis turns to her parents "I got a text from Agent Fallon this morning. He said that he will read us in on the case that Agent Walker was working on when he was murdered, so I am going to get dressed and head over to the morgue to finish the autopsy. Will I see you two there?"

Castle answers her "After I finish cleaning up the kitchen and get dressed, Kate and I will be there"

Alexis leaves the house heading to the morgue and Kate returns to their room while Rick begins cleaning up the kitchen. While he is doing this, he asks a question to the two most senior family members in the room

"Have either one of you noticed anything going on with Beckett?"

Martha responds first "Why no darling. Is something wrong?"

"No…No. I just wondered if you might have noticed her asking questions or making comments that don't seem like her?"

Jim, being the most experienced with the woman answers "Katie does seem distracted."

"Distracted? Distracted how?"

"Like she has something on her mind and is not sure if she wants to talk about it yet or not" Jim looks directly at Rick "Son. She is your wife and I know you are concerned about her, but believe me she is just trying to work something out in her head and when she is ready, she will tell you what it is"

"I know, Jim. It's just that in all the years I have known her, this time this seems more passionate"

"Well she is a passionate person"

"Oh…don't I know it" Castle looks toward the bedroom

Rick enters the master suite to find his wife sitting on the edge of the bed. She has not yet dressed

He sits down beside his wife and pulls her into an embrace "Kate…what's wrong?"

Leaning into his shoulder "Nothing is WRONG, per say…I have just been thinking about some things"

"What kind of things?"

"ME…you…us…our family"

'Kate. Everything is great in this family. Great with you. Great for me. Great with the children. Great all the way around"

Not raising her head "I know it is"

"Then what is going on?"

"I want it to stay great"

"Why would it not stay great?"

She keeps her head on his shoulder "If I stopped being a cop?...Would you stop loving me?"

This comment catches him totally off guard. This is not a question he ever contemplated…especially from his wife

Pulling her tighter "Where is this coming from?"

"You fell in love with a cop…if I stopped being a cop you might fall out of love with me"

He pulls her face up to meet his. "I fell in love with a woman who happened to be a cop. I will never fall out of love with that same woman even if she stopped being a cop. Is there some reason you are asking this? Is it because you said you might retire from the force?"

She nods her head

"Kate, if you did retire, I will definitely still love you as much as I do…no change that. I will keep loving you more and more on each passing day for the rest of our lives"

"Really?"

"And why are you thinking about retiring?"

A pause fills the air then her answer "I want my family safe…happy…Not dealing with the life I have led with dead bodies and killers. I want my children to grow up playing like I see them when we are here. You know Normal"

"Kate. I am their father. There is nothing normal about this"

He feels her laugh against him "True"

"So Kate, You want to keep the family we have and you think to do that you need to leave the police department and you think I love you only because you are a cop and you would lose the family if you stay a cop?"

He feels her head nod. Again he pulls her face up to meet him "Kate. Even though I fell in love with a cop, I grew more in love for the woman behind the badge. And then she became the mother of my children and more love came again"

"I don't want you to think less of me"

"That will never happen. And besides, look at all the extra time we would have in this room here" He points at the bed

A gentle slap is put on his chest "I thought we already do pretty good in that department"

"You have heard no complaints from me"

Her smile fills her face "Me too"

"Besides, you are still the hottest thing in a mini skirt and stilettos"

Another thump is felt on his chest. She cuddles a moment longer then looks up "We better get going. We do have a murder to solve and our daughter might just beat us to it. She is very good you know"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

When they arrive at the morgue, Alexis is working on the body. She hears the voices of her mom and dad as they enter the area "Hey guys, I am almost finished with this part of the procedure

"Give me a minute "Alexis remarks "and I will joint you two in the office"

Castle and Beckett are waiting in the coroner office when Agent Mark Fallon arrives

"Where is Dr. Castle?"

"She is just finishing up" Beckett answers just as the doors opens and she walks in

"Agent Fallon" Alexis remarks "You have any information you can give me on my victim?"

"Yes. I have been given permission to read all of you into the case" He steps back then turns toward the trio "Agent Lance Walker is assigned to an interdiction team. His job is to locate and report possible foreign terrorists entering the country. He received creditable information that there was a group planning on entering the country by coming into a seaside port such as the ones on Long Island. Just dock their boat and enter the country unnoticed"

"What would he be doing in the lighthouse?" Castle asks

"The report he received said they were planning on entering at night so he was planning on watching for them from the lighthouse"

"Why was he alone?" Beckett inquires

"It was not considered a dangerous assignment so his partner was not on the ground that night"

"That explains the light being off that night. Has he been up there several times before?" Beckett asks "There are multiple reports of the light being off…"

Before she can finish her husband jumps in "and ghosts…I mean eerie lights have been seen at the top"

Fallon has an odd look on his face "No. the other night was the first time he was there"

Castle can be seen grinning again "That means there really has been…"

Kate points at him "If you say ghosts, I'm sending you home"

Alexis finally speaks up "Well, ghost or no ghost, our victim and your agent was murdered by a knife. A very sharp knife with an unusual blade"

Alexis pulls out her autopsy drawing of the blade

The image causes both Castle and Beckett to draw in sharp breaths

The knife image is identical to the blade that was used twenty years ago in an alley in New York.

The same blade used to kill Johanna Beckett

* * *

 **UH OH!**


	9. Chapter 9

A few years back a comment about a knife akin to the device used to murder her mother would have created a great deal of emotions to fly all over Katherine Beckett-Castle,

But today….

Today is different.

Today is better

She has moved past the history that consumed her life for over a decade and almost destroyed her.

A history that was filled with pain, denial, and avoidance.

Avoidance from opening herself to her emotions. Avoidance from opening her heart to anyone. Denial that she might actually have a life not filled with pain. Denial that she would ever fall in love

But he came into her life and accomplished that very task, opening her up to love and be loved. Complete unearned love that brought a level of joy to both of them

Helped her in finding her mom's killer and being with her for the conclusion of that case

And now, today, all the former terrors she once lived with are completely covered by her husband's love and dedication…not to mention that the murderer is dead at Beckett's hand, and the man who ordered her death is also no longer a mystery and is no longer in a position to harm anyone

However it is obvious that the murderer in this case was trained by and was probably a member of the same Special Forces group so close to Kate's history

Kate leans into her husband and he whispers to her "You OK?"

She nods her head in response

"Are you sure?"

Pulling back to look at him, he is pleased that no anger or fear is present in her face. No tears filling her eyes, only a determination to assist someone else find peace "But now we must bring closure to another"

She sees her husband smile back to her

"Mr. Castle" Agent Fallon begins "What is it? Is there something about this knife important? Is there something I need to know about?"

Beckett responds to the question "This knife is identical to the blade used to murder my mother almost twenty years ago"

Agent Fallon is taken back by her answer "Do you think the killer is here now?"

"No. I actually shot the man who murdered my mother. He is dead. But I would assume that this person has had the same training that my mother's killer had. He was Special Forces, and this is the blade most revered by them" she points at the picture Alexis has drawn

"So it is possible that our murderer was trained by our own government?"

Castle starts thinking "Didn't we train Special Forces of several friendly countries over the years?"

Fallon responds "Yes. Our government did give a lot of support to foreign powers over the last decades after Dessert Storm"

Beckett questions this response "How many of those we trained were then radicalized and might just be the ones your team is looking for?"

"That is an unknown number. It could be in the hundreds"

"Agent Fallon…can your unit look into the names of these that had been trained and cross reference that with the CIA intelligence on known radicals and then those who want to invade the US and cause damage?"

"We can ask but the CIA is not obligated to help us with that"

"If you get these names of the trainees, I will contact someone I know in the CIA and ask for help"

"You told me once you knew the governor of New York and that turned out to not be true"

Kate backs up her husband "I know for a fact that Castle has that connection…I have met the agent myself. Please get that list and we will see where that goes"

"Very well! I will get the department started on that and will contact you when I have the list. Just a word of warning, the list will be long" and he exits the room

After the agent leaves, Castle and Beckett turn their attention back to the current victim and their daughter who just happens to be standing with her arms crossed glaring at them

"NOW are you going to tell me about Agent Mark Fallon or do I need to begin using some of these on you two:" she points at the table with a set of very intimidating instruments

Alexis' remarks bring a little chuckle from her parents "No Alexis, we are now able to tell you about Agent Fallon and our first meeting with him"

Castle proceeds to fill their daughter in on all the details of when Fallon came into their lives. How he was extremely brutal to a woman who ended up being a victim herself and how Kate almost shot him because of the threats

Castle explains to her about how he and Kate tracked down the actual threat and what transpired on a city street with a dirty bomb with only seconds to live. All those years ago

"So I almost lost my dad and future step mom all in one boom?"

"We almost lost the city, Alexis" Kate remarks "but I think that might have been the day I realized how much I cared for your father" she looks at Rick "Facing our own mortality brings a lot of feelings to the surface. At least it did for me" she smiles to no one in particular

"So you two should have been together long before you did" Alexis knows that is true "and dirty bombs have nothing to do with that fact"

"OK Alexis, now that we have given you our history, what do you have on our victim?"

"Not much more than what I had last night except the officers searching the building located his billfold at the bottom of the lighthouse. It was opened to his government id and they believe he might have been pulling it out to identify himself when he was attacked and he dropped it"

"So no other evidence on the body?"

"Not ON the body but his shoes were covered by some type chemical. I am waiting for analysis right now. I should have that back later today"

"OK. Great" the power couple leave the morgue and return to their SUV. As they approach Beckett notices that Rick has not removed the magnetic sign with the flowers and "Mystery Machine" logo

"Castle…will you take that ridiculous sign off our car?"

"It's not ridiculous! We still have a mystery and we really don't know it there are ghosts involved or not"

"CASTLE! There are no such things as ghosts"

"We still have the spooks…ER…I meant mystery lights that no one has explained in the lighthouse"

Kates face changes to irritation to resolve

"Fine" she almost whispers while actually loving the silliness of her man the entire time

As they get back in the van she comes to the decision that she is going to do something later to pay him back for all this. She just needs the time to go into town without him so she can execute her plan

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Back at the police station Castle and Beckett ask the chief if there is some place they can work and have access to police resources such as a computer and the National Crime Information Computer system.

Chief Brady provides them and old empty spot. There is an empty office far off the man hallway. This office is so secluded almost no employees of the department do not even know it exists

The room has a desk, one chair and an old couch. The computer is old but functional and there is no telephone. He tells them that they will have to use their cell phones to communicate

"I will try to get an extra chair for you to use instead of the couch" Brady remarks as he leaves the room closing the door as he passed back to the corridor

The couple look around when Kate remarks "I thought the old New York police stations had some old empty room, but this one makes them seem airy and bright"

Castle shakes his head "So true"

Kate drops her bag on the and looks around

"You know Kate we have used some of the old offices at home for some FUN activities" and he puts on a cat eating canary grin

"CASTLE! We are not doing that here"

"Why not? No one know this office is here and there is a lock on the door"

Beckett's cell phone rings saving her from having to deal with her husband's current plans

Caller ID say Alexis

Kate has turned on her speaker phone

"Hi Lex" Kate speaks into the phone "OK. What was the results of the analyses of the chemicals found on his shoes?"

Rick and Kate hear the response

"There are slivers of plastic and small glass pieces mixed with Phenyl oxalate and fluorescent dye solution made from a hydrogen peroxide solution"

Kate gets a blank look on her face "What is that?"

Castle answers the question "That are the parts that make up a glo-stick"


	10. Chapter 10

"So we have a man killed by a Special Forces issue knife…" Castle begins "and the remains of a glo-stick found on the floor"

Kate responds to her husband's comment "What could the two things have in common?"

"Maybe the Homeland Security guy was investigating the illegal importing of glow sticks

Kate glares at Rick

"Just one possibility" He remarks at her facial expression

Castle starts thinking "We need to set up a murder board and try to put together the pieces of this case"

The two begin putting notes on pages and sticking them on the wall using cellophane tape.

At this moment the wall is still very blank when Castle's phone rings.

"Castle…oh hello Agent Fallon" Rick listens to something the DHS officer is saying "Good. You have that list of possible foreign agents that we trained?" he pauses for a moment "OK good. Sent it to Alexis at the morgue and she will forward them to us"

Rick looks at Kate "He has the list of foreign soldiers trained by our Special Forces units and he is sending them over. After we get them,.. .I will contact Agent Gray and ask him to do a cross reference for any possible rogue agents that might be responsible"

"Do you think he will be willing to help?" Kate asks just as the corridor door opens and a small man enters the room

"Mr. Castle, Captain Becket…or should I say Mrs. Castle? It is so nice to see the two of you again. And I must say that marriage is setting well on both of you. Kate, you look more radiant that the first time we met"

The man's remarks catch both of the Castles off center

"Agent Gray" Rick begins "What are you doing here? We were about to contact you"

"I know. That is why I am here. You needed information on possible foreign operatives that might be attempting to enter the country illegally and plan to do harm"

"That is correct "Beckett responds "But how did you know?"

The man only looks at the couple with a face that gives them their answer "We know everything"

"So then if we give you the lists of trainees can you…?"

Castle's question goes unfinished when the CIA man responds "No. None of the men that are on the DHS' are trying to enter the country to do harm"

"Are you sure?" Kate asks

His answer is a glare telling Kate he is positive

"Captain Beckett, Mr. Castle…I suggest you look elsewhere"

Agent Gray, I do believe you, but DHS had credible information that there was a threat and that is why they sent Agents Walker and Martin here to investigate" Beckett responds

Agent Gray looks around the room "We knew about the possible threat. We heard it also. We did a lot of work outside the country and found no intelligence to support that threat, but we did ask the coast guard to keep an eye on the waters off Long Island. They have been out there for two weeks with anti- personnel radar and have had no contacts with anyone other than local fishermen. So we believe the reports were a diversion"

"You think that the terrorists are planning something else and this was just to throw us all off?"

Again Gray looks perplexed "No. After the leads ended up being unfounded, we did some more digging into their source and found the tips came from somewhere closer to home"

"How much closer to home?" Castle wonders

"An internet café in Queens"

Beckett also looks confused "Someone sent a tip to the DHS from back home in New York City?"

"Yes. We had the FBI get involved and they have tried to look into the café and they have determined it is owned by reputable business people who have always been open and cooperative in investigations surrounding computer hackers or threats being originated from their store"

"Have you been able to get anything of the fake tip?"

"The date of the connection is about a week ago and the video was inconclusive. The café was full of customers and several had on hat and hoodies so their faces were not clear"

Castle brings up the next question "So where do you go now?"

"We have the FBI working to identify the MAC address of all the connections that were online at that time of morning. They are hoping to isolate the specific machine and be able to narrow in on the threat"

"What can we do to help?" Beckett asks

"Just keep doing your investigation. We feel like there is no foreign threat but that does not remove the possibility of home grown radicals"

"We will do Agent gray and please let us know immediately when you have anything "

The man shakes his head in acknowledgement

Kate looks back at Castle "OK, so we have even less to go on than we did before" she looks back to ask one more question of the man but finds the room is empty. He has vanished "How does he do that?" is the exasperated comment from Kate

Castle has a sneer on his face "Maybe it is a good thing we postponed any activities we might have done in this room"

"MAYBE?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Castle and Beckett have returned to their car and are just sitting on the parking lot. Castle reaches across the front seat and takes Kate's hand. She wraps her fingers around his

"Kate…you know if you retired then we would not be doing this anymore…and if there is one thing I learned about you many years ago, is that you love doing this. You love the chase"

She smiles back at her husband "You mean like I love the chase between you and me?"

"Yeah" he smiles back "And like all the ways you still make me what to chase you"

She pulls his hand from the center of the console and places it high on her leg "I have no idea what you are talking about"

"Huh" is the sound coming from his throat "Maybe we should go back in there for a minute" pointing toward the station

She gently pulls his hand back up on the seat "Later…I promise. But right now we need to find more evidence"

Under his breath "Yeah, like more chasing"

Rick places the car in gear and turns to head back toward the lighthouse "We might find something else if we look one more time in the lighthouse"

"Mr. Castle…Are you trying to get me alone in the lighthouse again?"

"NO?"

"Then why would we go back there?"

"I don't want to look inside the lighthouse. I want to look outside the lighthouse"

"OH?" more like a question

As they are passing through the middle of town, Castle notices a store and suddenly pulls in to park directly in front

"Castle, what are you doing?"

"Glo-sticks"

"What about them?" Kate is totally confused

"Glo-sticks. If these lights have been seen for months then someone had to buy glo-sticks"

"OK. So they bought them"

"Where would you buy glow sticks?"

Kate looks at the store her husband stopped in front of"

"A party supply store" she remarks

The pair gets out of the car and goes into the store. Once inside they are greeted by a young perky teenaged girl

"Hi. I'm Mandy. What can I do for you today?"

"I am Captain Kate Beckett and we are investigating the death of a Federal Agent and we were wondering if you could help us?"

"Sure. What can I do?" She suddenly seems nervous

"We are looking into the source of glo sticks. I assume you sell them here?"

Now the girl seems unnerved "uh…yes…yes we sell them here"

"Do you sell very many of them?"

The girl seems to be blushing "We do sell more at Halloween or when someone is having a birthday"

Castle is watching this conversation closely "Halloween is months away so have there been a lot sold lately?"

"Yes" is the one word answer from the girl

"Mandy, is there something wrong?" Beckett asks "You seem nervous"

"No…no…I just…my boss is watching and I am not selling you anything"

"Mandy…is there something you need to tell us?" Kate asks

"No…I'm sorry, but I need to get back to work" and she walks briskly to the back of the store"

"That was odd" Castle remakes

"More than just odd. She seemed scared"

"We need to find out what is happening"

Kate responds "And I think I know who to ask, but first, let's make that trip to the park"

/\/\/\/\/\/\

It is nearing dusk as they make their arrival onto the park grounds. Kate gets out to open the gate and Castle pulls the car inside and she closes it behind... He parks over to the side of the building

Rick speaks to Kate "Let's walk around and see what we can find"

Castle and Beckett both get out and start looking at the surrounding grassy area.

After about thirty minutes they both return to the car as it is getting too dark

"There is nothing" Beckett remarks

"Kate, you said you knew someone we need to talk to now. Who is that?"

"Robin and Brett Edwards"

"Why do we need to talk to them?"

Before Kate can answer Castle's cell phone rings. Caller ID says 'Blocked'

He swipes the screen to answer but his face is filled with doubt "Castle" after just a moment his face changes "Hello Agent Gray"

Castle places his phone on speaker "Do you have something for us?"

"As a matter of fact, I do and you are not going to believe who sent in the false terror tip"

"Who?" Kate asks

"Your victim's partner Zack Martin"

"Why would he do that?" Kate wonders

Castle seems to have a moment of clarity "I think I know why he wanted to get his partner here"

"Why? And do what? To kill him?"

"Agent Gray. Do you know if Zack Martin is married or has a girlfriend?"

"OH yes. And she is a beauty from what I hear, not to mention the rumor mill had Lance and her having an affair"

Castle repeats what his poker partners have said many time "There are only a few reason to kill "To cover up a crime or…"

"To cover up an affair! Lance Walker was having an affair with Martin's wife?" Kate asks

"It would appear so" Gray responds

Castle fills in the blanks "Martin reports a threat to national security"

Kate adds" Knowing he and Walker will be assigned to the case"

Rick "He convinces his partner to go into the lighthouse to observe"

Kate "Trapping him alone"

Rick "Zack sneaks up in the dark and…

Kate "Kills his partner"

Agent Gray hears a rush of sound then suddenly notices the phone line go dead. His attempts to call back go straight to voice mail


	11. Chapter 11

The SUV slowly begins to pull out from the area of the lighthouse and back onto the main road and heads toward home

As the SUV pulls into the driveway in front of the Hampton's house Rick and Kate are trying to make sure that they are completely put back together and presentable. They both know that their daughter will be able to tell exactly what they just did in the parking lot of the lighthouse

And if the daughter missed it Rick is sure that his mother will read the situation and Kate knows her dad will not be fooled. He seems to have extra sensory perception when it comes to her and what she has been up to. He was able to read her like a book from the time she was 14

Neither really wants to get out of the car and they sit for a moments just holding hands

Kate looks over to her husband with her cheek against the back of the seat "It has been too long since we did that"

"Which part? The put together on the case or…?" he points toward her

She closes her eyes "Both"

"You are amazing" he finally remarks after a moment

"You're not so bad yourself"

"Did we ever do that in a car before?" He asks

She is looking directly out in front and not at anything in particular but she has a wispy look in her eyes "No, I don't think so"

"We will have to do that again"

"Defiantly" she softy responds

As they get out of the vehicle they again look at each other one more time and smile…then they both break out in a fit of laughter driven by the events from earlier

When they finally are able to regain their composure they walk up the steps and open the door to the house.

Entering the family room they find Jim on the couch near Alexis and Martha is comfortably placed on the love seat

"Mother" Castle starts up just as Beckett greets her father "hey dad"

The older family members and the one younger one look up to see two people who obviously are trying to cover up their escapades

Martha is the first to speak "Hello Darlings. How was your day?"

"OH. Uneventful "Rick answers

"Yeah. Just out gathering evidence" Kate remarks. Then "You know how it goes? Where are the children?""

Jim answers "We were able to wear them out today. We barely got them fed their dinner and bathed before they were both sound asleep."

"Listen we are both tired too, so we are going to call it a night" Castle responds as he and Kate turn toward their room

The moment they are out of ear shot Alexis comments "I am sure they are worn out. I think the type of evidence gathering they did can be so tiring"

This brings laughter from all three in the room

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Breakfast begins with Castle standing over the stove holding a set of tongs. He is watching the bacon to make sure it does not get burned

Beckett is cutting fresh fruit after having brought out the ingredients for omelets

The patter of small feet can be heard coming into the room and the sound of small voices "mommy…daddy" resounds throughout the kitchen

"Hey you two. Did you have fun with grams and grandad yesterday?"

"They were fun. They took us for chicken sticks at the pier and we had ice cream at Benny's and then cotton candy from the little place by all the boats, then …"

Kate turns toward her husband "How could they have possibly slept with all that much sugar in them?"

Rick seems as shocked as his wife is "I will talk to mother when she comes down"

Kate leans into her husband "You will not" she responds "That is what grandparents do and you know we do not let them go wild too often. Their time here is special"

Castle looks back at this wife. She would not normally say something like this. She has always been a 'By The Book' mother', but before he can comment he hears his mother coming into the room

"Good morning darlings" the fiery red head remarks just as she arrives at the kitchen island "did you two sleep well?"

"Yes, Martha" Kate answers

"That's good because you did look a little frazzled last night when you got home" Martha turns to quickly greet Alexis as she descends to the breakfast

"'Morning mom, dad, grams and my little siblings" Alexis grabs both her brother and sister and gives them hugs causing them both to squeal "HI sissy"

"Hey you two"

Alexis sits down on the stool and looks at the morning breakfast being worked on "This looks like a nourishing morning meal"

"We try" Kate answers "especially after what they were fed yesterday" she looks at her father who is just staring out the window

Alexis decides to chide her parents a little "And some nourishment after a good workout is always best" she drops back from the stool and goes to the refrigerator to get a glass of orange juice

Her dad is trying to restore control of this conversation "Did you find anything new on our victim?"

"Nothing. He was healthy and took good care of himself. Nothing unexpected. What did you two do…for the case?"

Her pause causes Rick and Kate to make another quick glance toward each other

Castle answers "We did do a little digging on the glo sticks"

"We stopped at the party store in town. We talked to a very nervous young clerk and when we asked about who had bought them she became very upset" Beckett adds "Why?"

Alexis drops back down on the stool beside her brother and sister she looks at her parents' "Something just hit me"

"What's that?"

"Was the clerk a teenager?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I may have an idea"

Kate looks over the counter at Alexis "What's that?"

"You said that the party store told you that they were selling a lot of glo sticks…? Were they sold to teenagers?"

Castle responds "I don't know. Why?"

"We found the remains of a glo stick on the shoes of our victim and the chemicals on the floor of the tower"

"OK. What about it?" Castle asks

"Well…"Alexis looks at her brother and sister who both seem more focused on breakfast than the discussion at the table "Grams would you take Jimmy and Alicia to watch TV so mom and dad and I can talk about something?"

"Certainly" Martha takes her two grandchildren to the living room

After making sure the smallest Castles are not in hearing range, Alexis continues "When I was in high school…uh and a teenager" she lowers her voice to make sure to not be heard by everyone "kids would go to the park to make out on the lot just outside the State Park and the Lighthouse. It was a favorite spot"

"OK" Kate remarks "Teenagers have been going parking ever since the automobile was invested. What does that have to do with this?"

"Well…uh…when I was younger, if someone got lucky. If you know what I mean?..."

Castle looks at Beckett with a hint of fear on his face "Yes we both know what the term 'Getting Lucky' means. What about it?"

"If a couple 'Hooked-up' the guy would take a semaphore flag and take it to the top of the light house and wave it in front of the light as it went around indicating what happened"

"What does that have to do with our victim young lady? And exactly how many times were you…"

"CASTLE. STOP!" his wife pulls him down

Alexis continues "I got to thinking. The lighthouse being turned off and the glowing images seen in the top might be…"

Kate catches on "You think this is today's teenagers semaphore flag?"

"That would explain the broken glo stick and the random occurrences of the ghost"

Castle fills in the last blank "Maybe we have a witness"

Kate finishes "That is not willing to come forward because of why he was there"

"Beckett" Castle starts up a new thought "We need to call the twins bac and ask some more detailed questions"

"Just what I was thinking"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Breakfast is cleaned by the time the Robin and Brett come back to the Castle house

"Mr. Castle, Mrs. Castle" Brett starts as the enter the door "You wanted to see me and my sister? We told you everything we knew before"

The four sit on at the dining table when Kate begins "Well, not everything. You didn't tell us about the importance of the glo sticks"

The icy silence between Robin and Brett answers Castle and Beckett thoughts about what might be happing

Castle starts "You two know a lot more than you are telling us"

Beckett decides to use the motherly side "Listen. If you were not directly involved in the agent's death you are not in trouble, but if you know something and are withholding it that could change"

"And could affect your planned future in the legal field" Rick then adds

"We know the glo sticks were belong taken to the top of the lighthouse as a brag about what happened. Were one of the braggers caught up there and accidently pushed him into the gears?" Kate knows that the man was knifed and not an accident and just is trying to pull the truth from the pair? What do you two know"

"Brett becomes the spoke's person for the siblings "He didn't kill the man. He ran out"

"Who ran out and what happened" Kate asks


	12. Chapter 12

"We need all the details "Beckett tells the two youth "You have to give us every small detail. One man is dead and a man is suspected of killing his partner so if you know something you need to tell us"

Robin responds first "A friend of ours, Roger Yancy was with his girlfriend at the lighthouse parking lot the other night when he decided to just go up and fire off a glo stick…"

Brett adds"…but she told him not to and that they had not done anything and she wasn't going to do anything because her dad would be angry and didn't want anyone to think she would do that"

Robin continues "But Roger thought it would be funny to do that and he went up the tower"

"Did she follow him?" Beckett asks

"No" Brett answers "but she waited in the car"

"She said after just a minute another man showed up and went inside. She looked up to the window and saw the stick light up then it dropped to the floor" Robin adds

"Then Roger came running out, jumped in the car and they left in a hurry"

Castel asks first "Did Roger push the man off the platform?"

"NO! NO!" Robin responds "Roger said the man scared him and he dropped the stick and ran as fast as he could back down to the car and they took off"

Beckett asks "What is the name of the girl?"

"Mandy…Many Phillips…she works at the party store. That is where all the sticks come from" Robin answers

This answer catches both Castle and Beckett "OK" Kate starts up "Write down the names and addresses of this couple and anyone else you know who went parking"

Brett and Robin write down the names and addresses of the couple. Kate tells them to not say anything to anyone about this conversation and the twins leave the house

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Castle and Beckett have returned to town and are headed to the police station but decide to stop at the local coffee shop to get a cup and quietly discuss the case.

Once inside Castle orders two drinks. One for him and one for Kate. When the order is ready he picks up the drink cups and begins to move toward the table to join his wife.

As he nears their table he hears a voice from his past. A voice that catches him a little off guard

"Rick?"

Castle turns at the sound and Kate's eyes flash toward the voice she also recognizes, Only…

Neither Rick nor Kate recognize the person speaking. She is a relatively tall woman. About the same height at Kate. Slender build, light brown hair, fair complexion. Slender figure

Then, it finally strikes Castle who the voice belongs to, but the body is not the same

It is Joy Mason

BUT

No bleached blond hair

No fake boobs

No deep tanned body

Just her natural self modestly dressed

"JOY? Joy Mason?" Castle is shocked

"Hi Rick, Hello Kate"

Gone is the squeaky voice. The flirty actions. The body exposing attire. The bimbo persona

"UH, Hi?" Beckett chokes out "how are you?"

"I am doing extremely well. And you?"

Almost at a total loss for words or something to say, Rick and Kate are left virtually speechless at the total and complete transformation in the woman Kate finally says something "You…you look really good"

"And you two look great yourselves"

"Thanks" Rick responds "What are you…? Uh" What are you doing here?"

He is actually asking why she is in a coffee shop when the woman he formerly knew only frequented the local bars and clubs or someone's boat at the marina .This is the same woman who once chased Castle around the harbor exposing all her assets to public view. Now she is standing here modestly dressed and having an intelligent conversation

"I came by to get my usual morning caffeine fix before heading out to my job"

Again knowing her usual job was picking up sugar daddies to take care of her high priced personal life style, Rick wonders "What are you doing now? I mean you mentioned a job?"

"Yeah, I am a writer now"

Kate almost chokes out "A writer? I mean like Castle? You write novels?"

"Oh No…nothing so wonderful as his books. And by the way, I did finally read all of them and they were great" she looks at Kate "He is so lucky to have found you, to be his inspiration for Nikki Heat. His love for you is in every word he puts in his stories of her"

"Well thank you" Kate is trying to figure out what is happening here

"Anyway, I am writing a travel piece for the Vacation magazines. I am syndicated now. But I mostly write for visitors to Long Island…you know? The best places to eat. The best Bed and Breakfast places. Stories like that"

Castle now wonders if he might have read any of her pieces "I don't think…I think I might have seen your stories but I did not see your name on any pieces"

"You probably would not recognize me. I write under the pseudonym…Island Girl"

A knowing look appears on Kate's face "I have read some of your work. It is great: Kate looks over to her husband "She has done some really nice tales about the point"

"Thank you Kate…that means a lot to me coming from you"

Now Castle and Beckett are more confused about the new woman standing before them. A person that was last seen bleached blond, bimbo, FAKE boobs and wearing almost no clothing and what she did have on would be so tight no one knew how she could even walk.

Now, standing in front of Rick and Kate is an intelligent woman nicely dressed with a natural look

"Joy, I had no idea that it was you writing those articles" Beckett responds

"No Kate! I really need to thank you"

Beckett looks over to her husband for support "For what? What did I do?"

"Kate you took him off the market" She throws a thumb in Castle's direction

"Me marrying Castle is responsible for the change we see in you?"

"Not the marrying part but all that came before. That man loved you from affair for a long time and no matter what I did to get his attention he already belonged to you"

Kates face flushes briefly then Joy continues "He was not interested in my assets but he was totally into yours"

Kate, once again, looks at her husband who is pretending to ignore the woman's compliments

"What assets…er things are you talking about?"

"Kate, when I tried to show Richard a lot of my body, and at the time I had a lot to show, he was only interested you. Your heart…and you mind. You are extraordinary, Kate. Don't ever forget that and that was the most important part of you"

Kates blush appears once more

"As I realized I was the talk of the town, and not in a good way I knew things had to change, so I decided if I really wanted the things you have, I needed to make a change in my lifestyle. I do have a decent IQ but I used my body instead. I had the fake boobs removed, I let my hair grow out to its normal color and stopped spending 16 hours a day in the sun"

"Not to mention writing a nice travel piece" Rick remarks

"And I finally met a nice man who cares for this end of the island as much as I do. He is the president of the local visitor's bureau and we are moving toward a lifetime together…and Kate, you are responsible"

Kate looks at her husband and smiles at what was just said then Joy adds. "I also write a few local interest stories for the paper here…in fact I just put a piece about you two"

"US?" Castle asks

"Yeah. I write a local interest column and you two and your beautiful children shopping in town were included in the latest"

"That was you who wrote that story about us? Kate asks

"Yes it was…" Joy's face changes to worry "is that OK?" she seems concerned that Beckett might not have liked what was said

"Joy that was a sweet thing you wrote about us" Kate responds

"I write how I see it and I liked what I saw on you two"

Beckett gets a thought "Joy. There was a story about glowing lights in the lighthouse. Was that one of your stories as well?"

Joy laughs a moment "You read that? Yeah I needed to fill a couple of column inches and that was an older story I resurrected"

"What do you mean OLDER?" Castle asks

"We have had these things happening around here for some time. But it got really weird lately"

"What do you mean?" Kate asks

"Years before the light would get turned off then the glow then it was turned back on before the park rangers had time to respond. I think the kids today are just doing it differently than their parents"

"What do you mean? Parents?"

"The 'deal' in the lighthouse started many years ago. Then the kids did something using semaphore flags and now the teenagers are going back to glo sticks"

"We believe this started with the parents of the teenagers of today.

Kate and Rick look at each other when Kate speaks up "So any parents would know the significance of the lights and might know what their children were up to?"

Joy is beginning to see where Beckett and Castle are going with their theory building

"That sound like a possibility" Joy responds

Kate decides to see if Joy has information "Do you know the names of the families that were here years before and have teenagers now?"

"I can find out. Do you want me to help with that?"

Rick responds "That would be good"

A smile opens on the woman "I will be honored to help you two. Let me go to the paper and do some research and I will get back to you" Joy Mason stands and rushes out the door

Castle then turns back toward his wifeand smiles "It seems my wife can do about anything and without even trying"

Kate blushes at his remark

Beckett's phone rings bringing the conversation back to the case at hand. Called ID says Fallon

"Beckett" Kate answers 'Yes Agent Fallon, we have new information about the…"

She is interrupted by Fallon beginning to give Beckett the current information. She turns on the speaker

"We located Zack at a motel in Sag Harbor and you will never guess who he was with?"

Castle answers "His wife?"

"Yeah and they said they have been together since the first day when his partner's body was found. It seems that Lance Walker had arranged a little second honeymoon for Zack and his wife as a surprise. Lance was trying to help Zack's marriage"

Beckett asks "Are you sure that Lance was not having an affair anyway?"

Fallon seems to hate responding to the question "It seems that Lance and Zack's wife are siblings. She was devastated by the news"

"So what a casual observer saw was actually a brother trying to help his sister?"

"We were not aware that there was a family relationship." Fallon admits "So now we are back to square one"

Rick and Kate look at each other and smile. Kate responds "Maybe not…"

* * *

 **I love to bring players back and mess with your minds**


	13. Chapter 13

As soon as they hang up on the call from Fallon, Rick and Kate look to one another as Kate begins

"Castle. If Lance was not killed by Zack, his partner …"

"…and don't forget his brother in law"

"…then who…? And why?"

"That leaves us with one possible conclusion" Castle remarks with a silly grin on his face "He was killed by a…"

She once more has a tone of mirth in her voice "If you say ghost, I am sending you back home"

His voice turns into a whine, a small whine, but a whine none the less "Kate. Lance came to the tower, no one was seen going in and later he was thrown into the gears and no one went in before you and me"

"He has to have something in his past that came back to get him…and just because no one saw someone enter the building, does not mean no one did"

"We need to start doing some deeper research on our victim" Castle finishes the thought

The couple leaves the coffee shop and head out to their car and are continuing to the police station as they had originally planned. During the trip Kate and Rick have returned to their usual theory building

"And Castle, Don't forget the knife wounds… so there must be someone else who had a motive to kill him"

"We need to get that research from Joy as quickly as possible and do a little deeper digging on the residents on the cape and what all transpires around here after dark"

"Yeah and who might be involved"

They drive in silence for a minute when Rick remarks "Who locally has reason to kill Lance?"

"No one even knew he was here…no local knew anyway" Beckett continues "I think we need to dig much deeper into the victim's past. Look into his finances, past relationships…current relationships"

"Fallon should have all that information already. The Department of Homeland Security runs extensive background checks on all their agents, and keeps doing updates all the time in case there is some change in their status"

/\/\/\/\/\

As they pull into the station and get out of the car, Beckett looks back at the side of the vehicle "Castle…will you please remove those ridiculous Scooby Doo signs from our car? The people probably think we are crazy lunatics…well you anyway"

"Not until we solve this…or maybe I can change it. I will get a 'Ghost Wrangler's' sign inste…"

Kate cuts him off the best way she knows how. She grabs him by the jacket lapels and gives him one of her best kisses "we will talk about this later" She turns away from him leaving him speechless on the parking lot.

After stepping a few feet from him, she looks over her shoulder "you coming Castle?"

"Uh…yeah" and he begins to move once again

Once they enter the station she they head down to the back depths of the station and after her husband stumbles in they close the door, Castle steps up behind his wife and pulls her close, the room stops for just a moment as she leans back into her man's embrace and she closes her eyes

In her mind, this feeling has become so much more important than chasing the bad guys

"Castle…" her voice seemed angry, but it really wasn't. She knew she started this out on the lot and he wants to finish it now

"Sorry" He comments as he starts to pull back "I just wanted to…"

She stops him from pulling back by grabbing his hands and holding him tight "That is not what's happening "she remarks

"I just…I'm just enjoying our vacation so much"

"Enjoying VACATION?" I think we have been working on a case ever since we have been here"

"Yeah, but we have made it fun for you letting you put that silly sign on the van and chase ghosts and your joy rubs off on me"

"There are a few other things I would love to rub…"

Before Castle can finish his remark the door opens and Chief Brady walks in. The officer quickly realized that he might should have knocked first

"Am I interrupting something?"

Both Castle and Beckett respond at the same moment "No"

Kate pulls back up and turns around so that her and Castle are facing the police chief "Do you have something for us, Chief?"

"Roger Yancy and his dad are here. I had them taken to the conference room"

"Thanks" Beckett responds "Will be right out"

The chief smiles toward the couple "Take your time" and her turns to leave and remarks under his breath "I will lock the door on my way out" and he pulls the door closed

Rick and Kate let out a gentle laugh and follow the chief toward the conference room

Once the two arrive at the room, Beckett opens the door and the pair step in "MR. Yancy" Kate directs her introductions toward the father "I am Captain Beckett of the NYPD and this is Mr. Castle" She indicates her husband "We are working with the parks department and the local police investigating the death of a Federal Agent in the lighthouse a few days ago"

The older man seems a little put out as he responds "I know who you are and I know Mr. Castle's work and that you are married. What do you want with my son?" He is obviously on the defensive

Kate decides that she must put on her homicide detective face "As I said we are looking into the death of a Department of Homeland Security agent and we believe your son may be a material witness"

The father calms down somewhat "He is not a suspect?"

"No. He is not even a person of interest. As I said we believe him and his girlfriend might have been witnesses to the events immediately surrounding the death"

The is silence in the room then the man look toward his son "Do you know what this officer is talking about? Did you witness something?"

No really wanting to admit to his dad about going into the lighthouse the young man stays quiet"

The father is becoming a little agitated "ROGER! Tell them what they want to know"

The boy raises his head and tries to not make eye contact with anyone in the room "Me and Mandy were on the lot…and…well…we…" he is trying to not tell his dad about the parking and teen activity going on there

"Son tell me what happened" The senior Yancy tells his son

"I grabbed a glo stick and told Mandy I was going to fire it off in the tower. She begged me not to but I just wanted to have a little fun"

"Roger, you knew what it meant to do that. Right?" Castle asks

The boy drops his head once more "Yes sir" he raises his head then finishes "But we didn't' do anything. In fact none of the kids were doing that. It had become a game with us."

Beckett responds "Tell us what happened"

"I went to the tower, turned off the beacon and went to the top. Just as I snapped the stick a man was there. He scared the crap out of me. He pulled out a badge and said he was a federal agent. I thought he was going to arrest me for being in the lighthouse so I ran"

"Did you drop the glo stick?"

"Yes. I think so. I didn't have it when I got back to the car"

"Then what happened?" Beckett questions

"We peeled out of there as fast as we could"

"Did you see anyone else around?"

"I did see a car pulling in just as we got back to thre main road"

"Do you know who it was?"

"No. But…" she stops in his statement

"Roger, what are you not telling us?" Beckett once more asks using her best mothering voice "you might have important information to help this"

"I heard Mandy gasp as the car blew past us. She might know something"


	14. Chapter 14

Castle and Beckett are leaving the police station and are heading over to the newspaper office and meet back up with Joy Mason and get the information on residents she was looking up for them.

When they pull out from the lot, Kate seems to get a gentle look on her face. Actually an appearance that Rick is not sure he has ever seen on his wife's face. She seems to have a melancholy softness in her appearance

Castle decides to try and get more information from his wife about what she has on her mind other than the murder they are looking into. He knows that she has been thinking a lot during this trip about her future and by default his as well

"Kate, can we talk?"

She does not stop looking out the side window "Women usually start out conversations that way. Are you trying to show your feminine side Castle?" she is definitely giving him a smile with her voice

"I am just wondering if you are ready to talk about it?"

She continues to stare off in the distance "What IT?"

"You know what I need to know. You have been dancing around these thoughts of yours all week"

She slowly closes her eyes then reopens them. She turns toward her husband "Rick, when I first met you I was kind of in a funk and kind of a mess emotionally"

"KIND of a funk? I think my girl here was in the absolute pits"

"Yeah and then some arrogant, self-centered womanizer came into my life and would not go away?" she looks across the car and smiles toward Rick "No matter what I did, he would not stay out of my personal life"

"You know you fell in love with me the moment you met me"

She gives him a huff "You know it was fun letting you think that from almost the beginning"

She reaches across the seat and wrapped her fingers into his "I have to admit I enjoyed the dance we did back then"

Castle is giving her all the opening she needs "So are you wanting to change our dance routine?"

"I love the dance we have done. I just want to make sure the music never stops. The music between you and me"

She takes a deep breath "I have enjoyed our time together. The times we chase bad guys, our trips here…in fact our trips everywhere we go when we unplug from the world and just spend time as a family"

"I hear a big butt?" he responds

"Are you talking about my…?"

He cuts her off with a squeeze of her fingers "Hey…"

Causing her to laugh again "Not a butt but…" she giggles about her own remark "A What if?"

"What if what?"

"You know…" her face softens "What if we were unplugged all the time?"

"Are we back to the retirement thinking?"

"Yes" she says softly as her head nods

"Kate. You know I will support whatever you want as long as I am a part of what you want to do"

She reaches across the front and wraps his hand into her other hand "I love you Rick and I will not have it any other way"

"I love you too. Kate. Remember there is much more to consider than just deciding to put in your papers. Tell me about everything that you are working over in your mind"

As they pull into the parking lot in front of the 'The Cape Register', the local paper, she responds "I will, when we get back home later, I think I can put it all into perspective by then"

"OK I can work with that" as he puts the car into park in front of the small offices of the paper

The pair get out of their car and walk into the front door of the local newspaper. As with all printed media today, the size and reach of the printed word has dropped dramatically. When you pass the entry they can tell this paper has not moved very quickly toward the digital age. Instead of computers and all forms of electronic distribution the desks and counter contains typewriters and typeset machines covering the desks.

The man at the front greets Castle and Beckett "you are Richard Castle" then looking at Kate "and you are Kate Beckett, I am Gus Stevens. I am the editor here and I want to tell you what an honor it is to meet both of you"

Rick reaches to accept the offered hand "A please to meet you Mr. Stevens. We came to see Joy. Is she around?"

"Yes, please come in" He pulls open the swing door beside the counter "Her office is in the back"

As they are approaching the second door, Castle's phone rings. He pulls it out of his pocket. He looks at Kate "Its Paula. Let me take this and I'll will be right in"

"OK" Kate responds then she continues into the second office while Rick goes back outside to the sidewalk

"Hi Kate" Joy remarks as she rises from her desk "Where's Rick?"

"He had a call from his manager. He will be right in. when we came in and I saw all the old newspaper equipment we thought…"

Kate has a questioning look on her face. She points her thumb in the direction of the front lobby. "All the old publishing equipment " then referring to the desks in the second office contains computers along with scanners and printers "I see this"

"We do that on purpose. The visitors love that old technology and they get a laugh thinking that we are still doing lead typesetting" Joy points to her computer "This is where I write all the stories and then send them to the large computerized printer in the back. It makes us a nice tourist stop"

"I see" Kate remarks

Looking toward the lobby "And Gus is the man I told you about. The visitor's bureau is only a part time job for him, so we do this together "she looks toward the front lovingly "he is really a nice man and I have fallen in love with him"

Any doubt Beckett had about Joy has just been quashed "so you and him are a couple?"

"Yeah! I think I have…found my guy" she looks at Beckett "And I hope we have just half of what you have with Rick"

Another comment about Rick brings another thought to Kate's mind "Joy, can I ask you something?"

"Sure Kate. What do you need?"

"The last time I saw you, you were…um…different"

The woman laughs out loud "Yeah I was…too different for my own good." Joy walks to her desk "I don't know if you knew this but Rick was in love with you long before you got together. Did you know that?"

Beckett nods her head

"About a year before you two got it together, he was on a Chad Braxton's boat in the marina at a party. I tried to pick him up and he said he was UNAVAILIABLE'. It seems from what Chad told me later, he was already madly in love with his police muse. Referring to You"

Kate remembers hearing those words from him in a recording made then

"Everyone in town was wondering what was so special about this cop that had made the playboy drop his wayward want to have one woman for the rest of his life"

Kate is taken back by the revelations being dropped on her

"After meeting you, we all figured it out…" She pauses "YOU ARE REAL and he seems to prefer real. You opened a part of him no one ever saw before. I don't know if it is the cases you work together or maybe" she looks over to make sure no one is listening "or maybe the regular shopping trips you do at 'Karen's Apparel'"

Kate actually blushes "You know about that?"

Joy just smiles in return "This is a close knit community. Anyway I decided to follow in Sara's footsteps and become the real woman just like you are and let my real side come out…and you know what? I like it"

But before Joy can add any more fuel to the fire flaming Kate's body, Rick enters the room. Instead of noticing his wife's embarrassment, he is taken back by all the computer equipment just as Kate had been

"What did Paula want?" Kate asks trying to get her mind back on the current issues

"Just a few notes about my latest outline. Hi Joy" Castle turns toward the woman

"So, were you able to get us those names?"

"Yes, but there are about two dozen that were here back then and are still living on the island" she hands a sheet of paper to Beckett "I hope this helps

"Thank you Joy" Kate turns to walk away then turns back "And thanks for the little talk"

As Rick and Kate leave the office Rick asks "What was that about?"

Beckett never looks up "Just girl talk" and she smiles to herself

Back in the car and heading home, Rick takes out his phone and calls a phone number. When the call is answered Kate hears him say the code words she knows will bring Agent Gray into play "You think he can help?"

"If our killer is a Special Forces hit man he should be able to tell us"

Kate nods her understanding "Castle, I am going to call home and see if they want us to being something home for dinner. She takes her phone out and dials their home. When Martha answers they have a short conversation then Kate hangs up

"Martha said she was just about to start supper, but if we wanted to bring something home, that was fine with her"

Castle gets a sickening look on his face "Thank goodness we stopped her before she did supper. I don't think I could handle an entire house full of family with food poisoning"

Both Rick and Kate laugh at his remark then he pulls into the local bistro so they can go in and order


	15. Chapter 15

The trip home is uneventful other than the fact that Agent Gray was waiting inside the café they selected for takeout. After turning the list over to the agent and ordering Rick and Kate are on their way to their Hampton's house

"How does he do that?" Kate says just as they pull out from the parking place

"I wish I knew, but he is always one step ahead of whatever we are doing"

Kate laughs gently. "There is one thing he is not ahead of 'us" She reaches for his fingers

"Do you remember the first time you met him? He commented about the sex scene in the first book?"

She smiles "Maybe he did know that it would eventually come true?"

The rest of the trip home is silent as Kate, once more, contemplates her…their future…their future together

After getting home and setting out dinner, Rick calls up to the family to come down and eat.

The entire family is sitting around the table chatting about their day and what they did. His mother and her father are speaking happily about another day they were out with the two grandchildren. They had taken the pair to the park and let them play followed by lunch at a taco stand on the pier followed by looking for shells on the beach

During the meal, Kate is almost completely silent just looking at the happy family she now has and the fun they are having

After dinner Martha and Jim tell Beckett and Castle they will go help the children with their baths while the couple clean up the kitchen

Alexis tells the crew she is going to go do something that has been a distant memory to her for years. Going to bed before 7:00pm and she bids everyone goodnight and heads up the stairs

Kate is still quiet as her and Rick finish cleaning up in the kitchen. Castle notices and is just about to ask a question from his wife as they close the last cabinet when they hear the two littlest Castle's running into the room.

"Mommy…Daddy" is almost screamed from the little ones. Both are carrying different books. "Will you read us a story "Jimmy asks first as he pushes his book in the direction of his parents

"NO! I want my book" Alecia is trying to get in first and she seems to want to cry thinking her brother will get his book first

"I'll tell you what, you two" Kate starts to comment "Daddy will read to one of you and I will read to the other one"

"Good" Jimmy remarks "I want mommy to read to me" and he jumps into his mother's lap

Alecia chimes in "I want daddy to read to me as she runs over and grabs her father's pant leg "Read to me daddy"

"Alright little one. We need to go over here" he pulls her toward the far side of the room from Kate and their son "So we won't disturb mommy and big brother" and the two move to the opposite side so they can also not be disturbed

As the two parents settle down with their children Rick begins reading to their daughter. Jimmy is actually starting to read the story without his mother's help.

Kate sits quietly just listening to her son exhibit his father's talent for words. Kate was told by his school that he was reading at a higher level than his age and his reading of this story is a perfect example of his ability

Her ears are listening to the boy's smooth delivery while her eyes are locked on her husband and daughter on the other side of the room. She watches as the little girl is mesmerized by the words being spoken by her daddy

Kate's eyes begin to glisten over as tears are trying to form from her behind her eye lids

Jimmy is growing sleepier with each page as he reads from his story.

In reaction to Kate's pulling him closer he looks up to his mother's face and sees the tears trying to escape

"Mommy…why are you crying?"

Kate looks down to her son "Because I am so very happy"

"Happy? I thought you cry when you are sad"

"Yes you do that" she hugs him tighter "But sometimes you are so happy you cry too…and today for me is happy. I am happier than I have ever been in my life"

"Are you happy with me?"

She moves her arms up around his head pulling him to her chest "Oh yes, little man…I am so proud of you, and your sisters, and your daddy…"

"And grams and granddad too?"

"Yes and don't forget Alexis...now are you ready to go to bed?"

He nods his head to Kate and she takes the book from him. Placing it on the side table as the little guy slides down from his mother's lap. He walks across the room "Sissy, let's go to bed" he reaches out and she takes his hand and drops down off Rick's lap. Come on" he says as they begin to head upstairs

"Brush your teeth and we will be right up to tuck you in" Kate says as Rick stands and walks toward her.

He reaches down to her and pulls her up to a standing position. He wraps his arms around Kate and pulls her to his chest where she goes willingly

"Are you OK?" he asks

She nods "Yeah"

"Then why are you crying?"

He can feel her chuckle against his chest "I'm happy…so very happy" she looks up at Rick "Let's go get the kids in bed then we can go be alone for a while" she slides her fingers across this cheek "and talk"

Even though his marriage has been greater than anything he ever imagined possible he cannot help but have a little tension inside while waiting for the conversation that will soon happen in the quiet of their bedroom and what the outcome there might be

Getting the two tired children tucked-in is easier that they thought and as Kate goes to the bedroom and gets ready for bed, Rick finishes closing up the house for the night

When he finally gets to change and enter the bedroom, he finds Kate sitting up at the head of the bed. She is propped up on pillows against the headboard wearing a long housecoat and her hair up in a messy bun

As Rick begins to turn off the lights, Kate tells him to leave the lamp on, at the bedside table on her side for now

He walks around the bed, pulls back the covers and places himself down beside his wife

The room is silent for several long beats before Rick starts. "Are you ready to talk and tell me what is happening inside that beautiful head of yours?"

She nods her head "I think so"

Kate slides down the bed and turns to face her husband. She reaches out to touch his arm "Castle I want you to know that I don't want to do anything to make you stop loving me"

That remark catches him totally off guard "Kate. Where did that come from?"

"I know when you first showed up in my life, you were after my body and not anything else"

"We definitely…or rather I have come a long way past that. Kate what I fell in love with was not just your beauty, but your intellect, your heart, your tenacity, your love for finding bad guys, and due to what happened to you, getting justice for others"

She touches his arm again "I know. That is what scares me"

"Kate, I don't understand. What scares you?"

"Rick…You are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I love you with all my heart. That is something I never thought was possible. To love someone like this"

"And what exactly is scaring you about this?"

"I see us…our life together all based on my police background…but…"

"There that butt comes in again"

She smiles a little "Will you stop talking about my…"

She stops when she sees the light in Rick's eyes

"I also never thought I would have all this. This life you gave me" she waves her arms around "This home" she points toward the door "Those beautiful children you gave me…"

"Well YOU did have most of the work doing that"

"Castle I want to keep this. This life we have. The life you gave me because I LOVE IT. I am afraid of missing out on all of this…but…"

"There is that but word again"

She pulls over to Castle's side and wraps her arms around him "I was afraid if I was no longer a cop, you might not want me anymore"

He was not prepared for that thought

"Kate. Do you think I love you just because you're a cop?"

She gives her shoulders a little shrug

He pulls her face toward him "Katherine Houghton Beckett-Castle…my love for you began with the cases, then moved to your follow up…then your love you showed my family…and I fell hard. I mean harder than I intended. Think about this. If I stayed around during the Will Sorenson's…The Tom Demming's…The Josh Davidson's. There is obviously more to my feelings for you than even I was willing to admit at first. Kate there was nothing…there is nothing you can do to make me stop loving you. EVER!"

"So if I stopped being a cop, you would still love me?"

He leans down to kiss her "Absolutely"

"And if I continue being a cop…we still get to be a family?"

"Yes. Of course"

Another pause is finally filled in when Rick asks a question "If you were to retire, what would you do with your life?"

She hesitates in her answer "I thought about writing a book"

He looks into her face "A BOOK? Are you going into competition with me and Nikki?"

"No…just had some thinking happening…"

"What would you write about? Real Crime Stories…The Teenage Axe Killer and the story that shocked America…?"

"No silly…"

"Kate, even if you don't retire, you can still write when you have a few minutes and I will help you"

"WAIT! What do you know about teenage axe murderers anyway?" she snuggles in tighter

"Nothing…but I am willing to learn, as long as you teach me"

"You don't need to know anything about teenage murderers"

"But we can still write hard and spicy tales"

She pulls away and stands up confusing Rick. She turns away from her husband and pulls off the housecoat that she was wearing. When she turns around to face her husband, he sees what she was hiding from him under the robe.

A totally sheer, every short nightgown currently outlining her body by her standing between him and the table lamp giving him a very sexy view

She turns on her most sultry voice "And our sex life will also continue being sexy, spicy, and great?"

He has lost all control of his voice and several strange sounds come out. One does vaguely sounds like the word 'yes'


	16. Chapter 16

Kate's eyes begin to slowly open to a new day before her, just as she has done for the last, almost 10 years, she is beside the man she loves. Not just beside him. Held tightly in his embrace keeping her warm

This is one of the things about her marriage that she probably loves the most. The warm beginning of a new day. Her body rested. Mostly. Her mind cleared and ready to start anew

When her eyes are fully open, she finds herself eye to eye with her man.

He has the look of someone who has everything he has ever wanted and more. Even though this is not new to them, to wake up wrapped together, it still always feels fresh and new

"You're staring…"

"At least it is not creepy" he smiles

"Maybe a little?" she snuggles into his chest

He slides his hand through her hair and gently caresses the back of her neck. This causes her eyes to flutter closed and her to let out a soft hum indicating her reaction to his ministrations

"Kate…I love you"

Opening her eyes "I love you too"

"Tell me something…"

"OK" she responds

"How is it that after all these years, it is like we are still on our honeymoon? You and me?"

Pulling her arm out from the covers and wrapping around her husband "You complaining? Mr. Castle?"

"Far from it Mrs. Castle…" he answers "Kate you make me regret having not met you first. Not being together from the first moment we met. What we have built together, your passion…"

After a moment of silence, she remarks "I told you once that you make me feel this way. You brought out my passion"

Another moment of quiet passes she continues"That is why I wanted to make sure we are still good...you and me. If I step away from the police, we will still be good. At this. I want us to be good. If I stay on the force, we are still good too"

"Don't you ever worry about that"

They lay together quietly for several more minutes when Kate finally remarks "we need to get up. The kids and our parents will be up soon and I don't think having our children come in here and find their parents naked in bed would be a good way of advancing their education on the birds and the bees. This is way beyond what they need at their age"

"So true Mrs. Castle. But I want you to know I do plan to resume this activity later on tonight…"

She continues his thought "and every night"

"Always"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Properly dressed the couple have entered the kitchen and are beginning the breakfast preparation when Castle notices they are almost out of milk. He holds the last half empty gallon jug up for Kate to see

"These two growing youngsters are sponges when it comes to their milk "Kate remarks "I will run down to the corner store and grab some more…do we need anything else?" as she walks toward the door grabbing her car keys

Castle is looking through the cabinets and refrigerator "No…I don't think so…hurry back"

"I will" Kate quickly returns to her husband, giving him a kiss, then she is out the door. Castle hears the car start and the crunch of her tires on the gravel driveway as she pulls out

Kate has been a part of this community for so many years now that when he enters the market she is greeted by name by the young woman behind the counter

"Hello Mrs. Castle" are the chipper words from the young raven haired, Heather Hightower, standing behind the counter beside the product scanner "You are up early this morning"

"Hey Heather. Running low of milk," She points toward the cooler on the wall and the shelves of milk "… and I told you to call me Kate...and you are also up early in the morning. I figured a teenage girl would still be in bed. I remember when I was a teenager, you couldn't drag me out of bed"

The young lady chuckles "Yes ma'am. My daddy told me to always call adults by their last name and I WOULD rather be in bed but this is a family business and all of us do our share with the responsibility of running the store"

Kate stops and looks at the youngster who is very dedicated to her family and taking her personal responsibility very seriously in taking care of business. She is impressed by her dedication "So this is a family owned business?" Kate questions

"Yes. My great-great grandfather began this as a general store back in the 1920's and it has stayed in the family all these years. Even through the great depression. He gave credit to anyone who needed it to buy food for their family and the store thrived when the people could pay him back"

Kate has reached to cooler and brought out two gallon bottles of the purchase and returned to the counter. She is thinking about how important family must be here on the island "I bet being part a family business is very gratifying"

She rings up the purchase "Yes it is. Everyone chips in and works to make sure we do well"

Kate comes up with a question "you are still in high school. Do you get to date? I mean you are still in high school"

The young woman responds "Oh yes. I work here but I manage to go out on many Friday nights. I am currently dating Vic Harrington…in fact he also works for his family business"

"OH?"

"He works for his dad at Harrington Hardware. They also are a long time family business"

"Really" Kate seems impressed by the family connections here "Are there more beside you and your boy friend?"

"Yeah. But most are just part time with the business...except Mandy. She works for her dad."

"Mandy that works at the party store?"

"Yeah her dad owns the store. It was sort of therapy"

"Therapy? Therapy for what?"

"He was in the war over in Afghanistan. He came home when his Mandy's mom was killed"

"Killed?" Kate perks up "How was she killed and what happened?"

"She was killed by a drunk driver on the LIE. Leaving Mandy alone so the service discharged him to return home, but he has not been the same since he got back"

"What do you mean?"

"At one time he was the coach of the girl's softball team. He and his daughter were close. I mean she worshiped him. Then he was deployed. And...well, he was not the same man when he came back"

"I guess losing your spouse would do that" Kate states

The young woman seems to have more on her mind "I think it was more than just that. He was different, more pulled back. He used to be at all the school events and now, no one ever sees him. He stays in the store. He watches over Mandy like a hawk. She can't even go to a school function without him giving her the third degree"

"Sounds like an over protective father to me"

"We all think he is afraid of loosing her too"

Kate returns to her Detective Captain Beckett mode "Do you know if he is seeing a therapist?"

"Mandy won't talk about it much. She has had a few problems herself with an old boyfriend that her dad didn't like and he got pretty angry about it but I think he does go the the VA regularly to try and get help"

Beckett is thinking for a moment then she pulls out her wallet and pays for her purchase "Heather, do you know if her dad was Special Forces or Delta or a Navy Seal?"

"Not specifically but Mandy said he did do some really hard stuff in the war and that is why he is the way he is. But she said is different since he came home"

"Different how?"

"I don't know. She seems to need to please him to keep the peace at home"

"Thank you Heather" as Kate turns and rushes out the door

When Beckett opens her car door and steps in, she finds an envelope waiting for her on the seat. She assumes it is from Agent Gray

/\/\/\/\/\/\

When she gets home she pulls Castle away from the children and shows him the contents of the brown folder. She can see his acceptance of the information contained on these pages "Kate, how are we going to handle this?"

Her response is firm yet understanding "Very carefully. We don't need any more things to happen here

/\/\/\/\/\

Beckett and Castle have arrived at the police station and are going inside to find the chief and several of his officers waiting for them

Beckett begins "We don't want a confrontation. Chief Brady had acquired a search warrant for the home When we arrive we must try to be understanding. He is a veteran and served this country If this man has PTSD we have to work with him and not let this rapidly escalate to an all out war if we are not careful so let's go slow with this"

Everyone acknowledges as the group heads out the door

* * *

 **I think one more chapter will finish this one. Then a quick Epilogue**


	17. Chapter 17

As the team stands outside the small conference room that is used sometimes as an interrogation room, looking into the window and at the occupant inside they are all silent in respect for what this person is about to face

The outer door to the area opens suddenly and Agent Mark Fallon enters. He seems to have fire in his eyes, He evidently was informed that Castle and Beckett had identified the suspect "I hear you found the person who killed my agent" pointing into the room. He appears to be ready to go in himself

"NO" Beckett responds also acknowledging the person inside "That is not your killer. That is an innocent bystander"

"What do you mean innocent?"

"Stick around and learn something agent Fallon. There are times for anger and times for compassion" Kate takes her husband in arm and they enter the conference room

Sitting down at the table is one very scared teenaged girl. It is obvious that she has been crying and by the number of used tissues on the table top. She has been crying a lot

Thru her tears she starts talking "Captain Beckett! My daddy did not do this. He is not that kind of a man. He is a good man. He is not the one who killed the man in the tower. He would never do anything like that?"

Beckett and Castle have sat down at the desk with Castle on one side of the girl and Beckett on the other thus surrounding her with caring adults

"We know, Mandy" Kate reaches out to gently touch Mandy's arm

"Then why did you search our house? Why did you arrest my dad?"

"He is not under arrest" Kate looks at her husband "Castle had reason to believe your father was being framed for the murder and we had to get the proof"

"Framed? What do you mean? Framed by who?" she asks in between sobs "…and what proof? What did you find?"

"We found the murder weapon. A Special Forces knife with our victim's blood on it"

Mandy seems to have a lost look on her face like she wonders what is going on

"It wasn't my dad. He would not do that"

"We know" Beckett responds "We were able to get records of your father's deployment and what he did over in Afghanistan"

She sniffles and she can be seen shaking "I heard he did some really bad stuff"

Beckett moves to take the girl's hand "No. But he had to deal with some really bad stuff. He was on a recovery team that dealt with civilian deaths at the hands of the insurgents. He SAW some really bad stuff that happened to innocent civilians. He helped the families identify badly mangles bodies and assist in the burial of their loved ones. He was there trying to help the villagers. I am sure that affected him a lot seeing that"

Mandy looks up at Beckett then over to Castle "When he came home from the Middle East he had changed. He was so different from when we talked or when we saw each other and when talked over Skype just a few days before mom…" her voice trails off remembering her mother's death in a car wreck

With more tears welling up in her eyes "…was killed"

Castle talks to the girl the way he would talk to Alexis when she was young and afraid "Your father saw senseless death caused in war and then gets a message that his beloved wife was died in a senseless auto accident here on the streets of Long Island"

"So if my dad is innocent. Who did kill the man in the lighthouse?"

"It was your ex-boyfriend that did it" Castle answers "Chuck Hawkins"

There is an extended pause when no words are spoken. Then Beckett continues "It was Chuck's car you saw going into the lighthouse parking lot. Wasn't it?"

Mandy gently nods her head never completely looking up

"Why didn't you tell us that you saw him drive on the parking lot that night?"

"He told me he would kill my dad and me if I ever said anything to the police"

Beckett applies her best motherly care "Mandy, we found the knife in your house, with not just the victim's blood but Chuck's DNA as well along with a finger print"

"So it was not my dad who did this?"

"No" Kate answers "It was your ex-boyfriend. Mandy, was he very controlling and jealous, wasn't he?"

Again she nods her head "He told me that he killed my new boyfriend in the lighthouse. I tried to tell him that the man was not my boyfriend but he just kept yelling that it was and I was next if I said anything about seeing his car"

"Mandy. He cannot hurt you or your dad or anyone else. He is behind bars and will be for a long time" Beckett tells the teenager

Rick completes the thought "and we are getting your father some help for his PTSD"

She looks at Rick "Dad said the VA would not help him"

"That is because his PTSD was not war related exactly. He had a lot of issues brought on by seeing the death over there but it is mostly caused by losing his wife"

Castle look across to Kate "I know if I lost the love of my life I would be devastated"

Kate feels he husband's love penetrate her soul and she gives Rick a soft but knowing smile in return for his comment

Castle continues "We brought your dad to the local hospital for observation. Our daughter is a doctor in residency and has worked rotation in Psychiatry and she knows some very good doctors who are willing to help your dad. In fact a man Alexis has worked with, Dr. Carter Burke, is on his way from The City to see your father and help him through this"

The young girl seems to be feeling somewhat secure having Rick and Kate beside her like they are her own caring parents

"Our daughter Alexis is going to take you to see your father then we need to arrange for someone for you to stay with until he can take you back in" Beckett tells Mandy "So until we find that person you will stay with us. OK?"

The teenager nods her head once more then softly speaks "Thank you"

Returning back in the main squad room Rick and Kate are faced with a very embarrassed Agent Fallon

Beckett looks at the Federal Agent. "Sometimes the obvious is not the final solution"

"I see that. How did you know?"

Kate looks at her husband "Castle thought there was definitely something wrong with the case. Using someone he knew…" Kate just smiles and Rick knows who she is talking about"… was able to get a military background done on the locals who have been here a while and got the records on Mandy's dad"

"And it didn't add up. He was not a Special Forces member or on any special squad. He worked on recoveries" Castle continues

"So Castle and I talked it out…" Kate suddenly remembers where they were when the theory building occurred…IN BED "…and we determined there was someone else. Castle said we needed to look into any other local citizens with military background…"

"…and that is when Steve Hawkins name showed up." Castle continues "He has a sealed military service record but we did find he was Special Forces"

"And that is where the knife came from" Kate finishes. She then takes a deep breath "In fact he was trained in the same unit as three other men we knew about" she looks at Castle who acknowledges he knows she is speaking about Cole Maddox, Dick Conan, and Hal Lockwood

Mark has a questioning look on his face "Who would that be?"

"No one you would know"

After another moment of silence he speaks once more "Can I see you alone for a minute" he asks Beckett

The two step a short distance away from the crowd "Captain Beckett, I apologize for my assumptions. I was too emotionally involved in this since being the victim was one of my best agents"

"That is understandable, Agent Fallon, but as I told you several years ago Castle and I don't always look at the obvious"

Fallon looks at Castle "I see that…" he looks back at Beckett "Captain. Would you consider leaving the police department and joining Homeland Security? We could use your investigative power

Agent Fallon stands silently for a minute before speaking again "You know Captain Beckett, I could sure use you. You seem to see thru the smoke screens and discover the truth much better than anyone I know"

"Thank You" she responds then looks at her husband

He can tell she is rejecting his offer "If you ever think about retiring from the NYPD, the offer is open. I would love to have you join our department. I can guarantee you a high position in the agency"

Kate looks at her husband and she can see a question on his face "I will think about you offer, Agent Fallon, but right now Castle and I need to set up a safe haven for Mandy until her dad gets better"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

After arranging for Mandy to see her father Rick and Kate are heading home. Kate suggests that her and Rick stop at a local Italian restaurant they have not tried yet for dinner. Once inside and seated they are surprised to see Joy Mason and her boyfriend enter the door

"Rick, Kate" the voice of Joy Mason is heard

Kate looks at the other woman with a smile this time instead of a smirk "Hi Joy. How are you?"

"We are great. Is this your first time here?" her and her boyfriend Gus Stephens are entering the bistro

"Yes. We thought we might give it a try" Castle responds

"You will like it. I promise Joy responds

Kate looks at the couple standing over them "why don't you two join us?"

Gus speaks up "Are you sure? We don't want to intrude on a little romantic evening"

"No please join us" Rick answers. We are just talking about the case and how it all worked out"

The local couple have dropped across from the Castles when Joy speaks up "I hear you arrested Steve Hawkins son in the murder of the federal agent"

Beckett is not sure how the news got out so fast "Where did you hear that?"

"Kate. We are the press" she chuckles a little "Not a giant newspaper, but we are the local paper so I heard"

"I can accept that" Beckett nods her head

"But Kate, can I ask something about Mandy?"

"Sure"

"Where is she going to stay while her dad is in treatment?"

Kate looks at Rick "well Castle and I thought we would watch her until other family can get here"

Joy looks at Gus "We were wondering if we could take care of her?"

"Uhhh…?" Kate is caught off guard "You are wanting to watch her?"

Gus responds "We talked about on the way over here and we would like to help"

"If you are sure, I will check with Chief Brady"

"Thank you Kate" Joy answers

After the meal Kate and Castle have headed home to see the rest of the family. When they get home they find their two littlest children sitting on the couch with obvious pouting on their faces

Castle looks at his mother and father-in-law also in the living room. "What is going on?"

Martha answers her son "Jimmy got in a fight at the playground and Alecia joined in"

Kate stands while Rick sits down next to his children "Who wants to tell me what happened?"

Jimmy is on the verge of tears

Martha speaks to her grandchildren "Tell your father what happened"

"Alecia was playing on the swings with Tony Marcus and he asked what mommy does and she said mommy slays dragons and Tony called he a liar and there are no dragons and she started crying and I went over and told Tony my mommy does too slay dragons that and he tried to punch me and I,,,I punched him first and…I…"

Castle looks up to his wife and gives her a smile

She leans down to the children's level "I really like you defended your little sister" looking at Jimmy,"But you can't get into fights about what mommy does OK?"

The two nod their heads in agreement

Kate looks back up "You two go to bed and we can continue this in the morning"

The two smallest head upstairs

After a short conversation about what happened the four adults can't help but want to laugh at how important this was to the smallest members of the family

Kate has dressed and entered the bedroom to find her husband sitting against the headboard

""Dragon Sayer? Huh?"

"Shut up" she pulls the covers back and gets in beside her man "It's your fault"

"What?"

"You started out telling Jimmy that made up tale of us"

After a moment of silence Castle leans over Kate and wraps his arm around her "But you are a not only a dragon slayer, but a ghostbuster as well

She smiles up to her husband as she wraps her hands across his neck "I ain't afraid of no ghost"


	18. Chapter 18

**Almost Finished. One more after this one**

* * *

Today promises to be beautiful day. A warm day. The sun is rising over the shoreline. Katherine Houghton Beckett-Castle is once more sitting on the lounge chair on the rear porch of their Hampton's home. Just relaxing, just enjoying the morning sun climbing up over the Atlantic Ocean.

She closes her eyes thinking about the events of the last several days and the way her life seems to always revolve around crimes

The murder. The case. The clues that lead them to a different suspect than initially thought, and finally the closure of the case. Getting another dangerous person off the street. Helping a man recover from his loss of the love of his life and getting him reconnected to his daughter therefore helping both of them to grow to savor their family

She picks up her morning cup of coffee that her husband brought to her and takes a sip of his expert preparation. She then takes the late edition of the local evening paper from the side table. She begins to graze over the pages. Pages mostly containing local interest stories and advertisements for the nearby businesses

Just as she begins reading, a headline catches her attention. The headline reads:

"Tower Ghost Hauntings Solved"

"Fortunately for the local community, we have our very own Mystery Machine and the team to track down the ghosts

The local mystery of the haunted lighthouse has been traced down to a prank pulled by teenagers parking out on the coast, under the lighthouse, and using glow sticks to announce their claimed success by shutting off the beacon and playing with blue/green glo sticks creating a mystery suitable for the fans of Scooby Doo and the gang

Local, Richard Castle, actually placed a 'Mystery Machine banner on his car as he investigated the ghost infestation of the lighthouse

So with his presence, fortunately, we did not have to call in Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and the rest of the Ghostbuster gang.

Rick and his partner and wife found the solution to the mystery and of the ghost in the lighthouse.

Congratulations go to Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy, and of course Scooby Dooooo"

Kate almost laughs out loud thinking that the local paper had to use this silly story as a filler in the metro section

She continues to flip thru the pages then she sees the headline story

"Local crime fighter in residence solves the crime of the century

"Captain Kate Beckett, local resident and lead of the New York Police Department's Elite crimes unit, along With a Mystery in the lighthouse solved a murder of a Federal Agent"

The story continues to tell how the crime was committed by a local youth in a jealous rage

Kate flips the pages closed and leans her head back just in time to hear the screams of her two little ones coming close

Popping her head up she sees her boy and girl run across the back yard screaming in laughter followed moments later by her man child turned husband and children's father chasing after them and grabbing at the two as if he is going to capture them and eat them up. The three disappear around the side yard and the sounds diminish

Kate laughs out loud at the sight before her. Leaning back and closing her eyes once more her mind flashes back to the first time she met this man and how he irritated her with his childish ways. How he wormed his way into her life then would not stay away from her. And now she can't wait to see what silly thing her twelve year old approaching middle age plans to do next to make her laugh.

Oh. Perhaps another silly ghost adventure. Another magic trick from Drake's Magic Shop. Possibly offer to take her to the moon for their next anniversary.

Any of those things will be fine with her

At this moment the overgrown kid she loves more than she thought possible rushes up to the porch

"Those two can run like lightning" he remarks

Not hearing them anymore "What did you do with them? Lock them in the safe room?"

"Alexis wanted to take them to town for the day. She leaves tomorrow for her residency and just wanted to spend a few hours before she left"

My dad left a little bit ago. He said he needs to do a brief before tomorrow"

"And my mother has gone back to Bridgehampton Playhouse. She said she needs to do costume fitting" Castle adds

"So we are alone?" Kate has a tiny bit of evil in her voice

"Yup"

She looks into the yard "Did you enjoy chasing the children?"

"He also looks toward the beach "Very much. Why?"

Kate lets out a huff "Well big guy, why don't you chase me like that anymore?"

"OH? That's how it is?" he starts toward her with a glint in his eyes. She squeaks and quickly jumps up and runs out toward the ocean, laughing, with her man close behind

She lets him catch her just as they reach the sand. He tackles her to the ground where she lays on her back with him over her "You didn't run very hard. You LET me catch you!"

"I have been doing that ever since the moment we met. Letting you chase me" She puts her arms around his neck and pulls him down on top and fills his lips with hers "You complaining Mr. Castle?"

Pulling back up and looking at her face "Not a chance Mrs. Castle"

Her eyes are showing the happiness she is currently experiencing "I love you Rick"

"Back at ya"

He lowers himself to his wife and begins working on her lips

After a brief period of enjoyment Kate looks around "We can't do that here Rick"

He also looks around "Why not?"

"Someone will see us" She almost sounds panicked

"Kate. We are on our private beach. No one is allowed here"

"CASTLE! Signs don't stop trespassers"

"OK. Then can we just make out?"

She grabs his neck and pulls him down "Absolutely"

Just as they get started the irritating sound of his cell phone ringing breaks the beachfront make out session. The ringtone is 'ride of The Valkyries'

Castle lets out a disgusted huff knowing that is the ring he has reserved only for his ex-wife and publisher, Gina

Taking the phone from his pocket he answers "what is it Gina?"

A short pause is ended "WHAT? Now? Can't it wait until I get back tomorrow?" another pause is followed by him sitting up and responding "alright. OK I will do it and send it to you" he hangs the phone back up

Kate seems to have disappointment in her voice "What is it babe?"

"They were proofreading chapter 22 once more before typesetting and discovered a major loss of continuity and they need me to fix it now so the book can still go to press by next Monday"

As Rick stands and begins brushing off his clothes

Kate just looks up at him "too bad"

"Why?"

She stands and also brushes off her pants "Oh. I had decided we could take the chance on getting caught…but now you have to do paperwork" and she begins strutting back toward the house affording her husband a nice view of some of her assets he loves to look at

Once back in the house Rick has opened his computer and is looking over the offending chapter" Oh great" he mumbles under his breath but loud enough for his wife to hear

Kate steps to the office door "What's wrong?"

"This may take a couple of hours to fix"

"OK then. While you are working on that, I am going to town to pick up a couple of things"

Never looking up from his keyboard "Alright be careful"

She takes her keys and heads to the main shopping district.

When she arrives she heads into one of her favorite stores, Karen's Apparel

As soon as she enter the door, she is greeted by Karen "Hey Kate"

"Hi Karen. How are you?"

"Fantastic. How about you?" the proprietor asks

"Super" Kate starts looking around at the intimate items that she is in a habit of buying here

"Looking for anything in particular?"

"No…just looking…you know?"

"Yes I know. Something to keep the burners going"

Kate lets out a laugh just as the door opens and they are joined by another local resident, Joy Mason

Karen speaks first "Hey Joy"

Kate follows "Hi"

"Hey both of you" the former BBB replies "Kate i am so glad you are here"

Beckett has a questioning look on her face "Why?"

"I just wanted to see you before you and Castle went back to the city and to say thanks"

Beckett does definitely not understand the remark "Thanks for what?"

"Being you"

"What did I do?"

"You are an example of womanhood. You are smart, tough, and tenacious. All the while begin beautiful and super sexy. We understand you have been offered a job with the Feds"

Beckett is caught with nothing to say "how did?...I mean…"

"I am a reporter" Joy remarks "Kate, You have been the model for so many women out here on the island, including me. You have actually saved a few marriages"

Kate looks at Karen who nods her head "Kate, some of the men I told you about before who brought their paramours out instead of their wives are now here as a family. Mother, father, children. You showed the people here how to be a mom, a super intelligent cop and sexy all at the same time"

Kate is actually starting to turn red when Joy continues "you definitely changed me and from what I hear several others too. Thank you"

Kate is not sure what to say but "Thanks. I don't deserve all this"

"Yes you do" Joy finishes

"And OH! Wait Kate. That special order of yours came in" and she reaches under the counter and pulls out a box and a bag and Pointing at the purchase "This is exactly what we are talking about"

Kate turns with her package in hand and walks out…Stunned!


	19. EPILOGUE

**Time to put a bow on this story**

 **A Christmas Present to my readers**

 **I want to wish for Peace to the entire world**

* * *

EPILOGUE

Kate returns home to find her husband still looking at his laptop "How's it going?"

"Just finishing up"

"Great. You want to go to town and grab a bite of late lunch?" she leans over his shoulder

"Yeah. Give me a minute. I will change and we can go"

"I'll be waiting" she steps back out and rushes to the bedroom to change herself so he will not see what she picked up at Karen's.

Moments later he comes into the bedroom she is already in the car waiting for him. He is so mentally distracted from the rewrite he had to do that he does not notice she is wearing a long coat.

As they pull out of the driveway he is silent. When they get on the highway he finally speaks "When were you going to tell me about the fed's offer?"

Surprised, she looks across the seat. She reaches over to take his hand, wrapping her fingers into his "Actually, I was never going to mention it"

This causes him to give her a questioning look "Why?"

"Because it is a non-issue" she squeezes his fingers tighter. "There is no way that I would even consider that. Not now. Not with what I have now"

"Now?" he asks honestly not understanding her response

"I have more here than I could ever achieve there. I would be stepping down to take that job and not up"

She watches the joy on his face at her answer

"Really?"

She smiles across the seat at her husband "Yes. Really"

His happiness is expressed all over his face now.

After a few minutes Kate has tells her husband that she thinks that she might have left something in the tower at the lighthouse and wants Castle to drive her up there to get it.

Being it is on their way to the restaurant, he agrees to go there first

As they pull up to the lot, Kate tells Castle to just wait in the car and she will be right back down

He refuses to allow his wife to go in the dark spooky tower alone "We still have not found the ghost that is haunting the tower. All the kids say that they had not been up there in days"

"CASTLE. There are NO ghosts, but if you really want to come up then let's get going"

The couple go into the door of the lighthouse just as the sun is beginning to set giving the inside an eerie orange glow

As they stop finally at the top level Rick looks around "What is it you needed to do up here?"

Kate turns around and removes her long coat revealing a very, very short brightly colored micro-dress with knee boots to match. The outfit is identical to the wildly colored costumes worn by the character, Daphne Blake, in the Scooby-Doo cartoon series "I got to thinking about next Halloween and what I might wear as a costume from Scooby doo"

Castle is silent

"What were you saying about me not being Velma but that I am Daphne? Long legs…short skirt. Are these the legs and is this skirt what you had in mind?"

Kate is not positive if her husband is still breathing. His eyes dropped down to her legs and never moved again

"Are you OK?"

"OK? UH…yeah…I am…OK…I…"

"Speak up Mr. Castle. Tell me what it is that you have on your mind"

He stands unmoving and looking dumbfounded

She takes a short step toward her husband. "If memory serves me right we had come up here earlier and we were planning on doing something but we were interrupted. When we thought we were ALONE the last time we were up here but found a dead body instead"

No more words are spoken as Rick crosses the short distance between him and his wife and wraps himself around her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

It is just after dark when the two finally emerge from the building to get back into the car. They both had to stop several times coming down the stairs to regain their composure

Once in the car and getting the engine started, Kate looks over at Rick with so much love in her eyes and his toward hers as well. Basking in the afterglow of what just happened and neither ready to begin the trip to dinner just yet

"So Mr. Castle. I still have it?" she asks

"Never lost it" Rick responds

A moment of silence is followed by his next statement "How do we keep being this way together?"

"You keep doing things for me" she responds

"And you continue to do things to throw me off guard and distract me…like what you just did"

Silence is brief "And what did I do to justify having you as my wife? And what did I do lately that pleased you so much?"

Her gentle smile lights the space "You supported me in whatever decision I made about my job"

"Speaking of that…what have you decided?"

A larger smile crosses her face. "After all the nice things that were said about me by Fallon and Joy and the park chief, I think I need to continue to keep you off guard as much as I can, so to do that I need to stay in law enforcement"

Castle reaches across the seat and takes her hand "If that is what you really want to do"

"That way I can bring you interesting cases for us to theorize over…at home…in bed"

"I like that idea" Castle puts the car in gear and pulls out to leave when he hears his wife's voice loudly scream

"CASTLE…WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"What? No I haven't DONE…no I…I have not done anything. Why?"

Kate points toward the top of the lighthouse

There is a green/blue glow coming from the top level "Did you put that up there to announce to the entire world what we just did?"

Rick has a shocked look on his face "I would never do that. As much as I would love to, I am not about to tell the entire world that I just had amazing sex with my wife"

As the two are watching, the glow begins to spin around inside the glass dome of the tower running faster and faster, then, with a pop…Vanishes"

Their eyes lower to look at each other and in unison they both speak "I ain't afraid of no ghost"

Finis

* * *

 **Thanks to all who have read the junk I write. It is my desire that these tales of fiction have brought a little laughter to your lives**

 **So**

 **Until ...**

 **?**


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